Pollution in Mind

We have pollution in mind whilst we wait for the release of the Water Pollution Prevention and Control Action Plan’ fondly known as the ‘Water Ten’. Indeed it is difficult to stray from it with “Under the Dome” – pollution is on everyone’s mind in China. At the last session of the National People’s Congress, Premier Li Keqiang declared “War on pollution”. This year he said, “environmental pollution is a blight on people’s quality of life and a trouble that weighs on their hearts”. Since the Water Ten is yet to be released, we take a look at what to expect in “What’s the Plan?”2015 is also a big year for safe drinking water with the government promising to deliver access to clean water for 298 million rural Chinese by the end of this year. However, some experts believe that ‘completely solving’ rural drinking water is a ‘mission impossible’. We take a closer look at the status of rural water and China’s water sources. Why are they still under threat and suffering from pollution. Who is responsible? If you have the stomach, check out our comprehensive view on the true status of China’s urban and rural drinking water in “China’s Long March To Safe Drinking Water”, a report by China Water Risk and chinadialogue. The good news is that there are solutions. Deltares’ Dr. Marsman share remediation strategies to tackle large-scale groundwater & soil pollution. Whilst forecasting pollution impact is important, quotas on wastewater discharge means companies should make the most of wastewater and award-winning Dr. Matthew Silver and William Dean from Cambrian Technology expand on how to take waste out of wastewater. Despite the pollution there are many who remain positive. Professor Wang Canfa, from Beijing’s University of Political Science and Law, tells us that China’s amended environmental protection law marks a new era in environmental legislation. The new law came into effect this year and we hope that China makes good use of it to punish polluters and that justice is here at last for the environment.