Public agitation within Beijing’s smogosphere—including campaigns on Chinese social media and recent aggressive reporting from state-affiliated newspapers—has gradually prompted the government to release more data about air quality. It’s not the same as solving the problem, but the relative openness is an encouraging sign.
On water pollution, too, the government has gradually allowed more transparency. Last week China’s environmental ministry released planning documents that for the first time acknowledged the existence of the country’s “cancer villages”—locations where exposure to industrial chemicals has led to elevated levels of cancer. Over this year’s Spring Festival holiday, also known as the Chinese New Year, environmental journalist turned activist Deng Fei, who in 2009 posted a map online identifying the so-called cancer villages, launched the “Show Me a Dirty River Campaign”—encouraging citizens visiting their hometowns during the holidays to send in digital photos of polluted rivers and lakes.
See full Article: http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-02-25/soil-pollution-is-a-state-secret-in-china#r=hpt-ls
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