Local govts must not try to shift pollution problems onto others

THE XINGTAI GOVERNMENT'S PLAN TO relocate Xingtai Iron & Steel Corp to the city's outer suburb Xinhe county has provoked discontent among people in nearby Hengshui in Hebei province. To solve the problem of "not in my backyard" in terms of pollution sources and better protect the environment, pollution control must be strengthened. China Daily writer Wang Yiqing comments:

Xingtai Iron& Steel Corp is one of the major sources of the local air pollution, but also an important taxpayer to the city. As a resource-dominated old industrial base, Xingtai has suffered a lot from air pollution in recent years. Relocating the plant to Xingtai's remote Xinhe county seems to be a win-win choice for the local government: it could effectively reduce the air pollution of the downtown areas, while the city won't lose fiscal revenue.

But it is not good news for the neighboring city, Hengshui. Xinhe county is about 100 kilometers away from Xingtai's downtown, but is very close to Hengshui. More important, the new position of the plant is only 30 kilometers away from the Hengshui Lake National Wetland Reserve Area. The Hengshui government said that some scholars and local residents are worried that the plant's relocation may damage the fragile ecological environment of Hengshui Lake. Moreover, as a wetland reserve area Hengshui Lake is also an important habitat of many migratory birds. If the lake is polluted, numerous animals may also be endangered.

The dispute over Xingtai Iron& Steel Corp's relocation is a typical example of "not in my backyard" difficulty in pollution management. Everyone enjoys the benefit of public facilities and industrial development, but nobody is willing to have some projects constructed nearby because of pollution or health hazard concerns. As well as Hengshui residents, local residents in Xinhe county have also expressed their displeasure at the news.

Simply moving the pollution source from downtown Xingtai to the suburb near Hengshui does not address the pollution problem at all. And from the perspective of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei's integration, such a relocation will do nothing to improve the entire region's ecological environment.

Environmental protection and pollution management require collaboration and cooperation, which should not become a zero-sum game that only cares about local interests. Instead of relocation, stricter pollution control and management measures are required to curb the pollution wherever the source is.