27March/April 2018 —to village committee level – are ultimately
accountable for resource protection, waterline
management, pollution prevention and control,
and ecological restoration. The more significant
the river, the higher the leadership level. To keep
them on their toes, their contact information is
listed on plaques beside the stretch of water for
which they are responsible (shown left).
Diligent citizens are encouraged to report
pollution and unlawful activities via phone.
Android and iOS apps are being developed
by various levels of governmment allowing
ordinary citizens to monitor cleanliness, project
progress and locate responsible personnel on the
go (shown on the left in the shot above right).
In the past, the scheme was spotty in its
effectiveness. More than half of Lake Tai’s 22
major streams, for example, are now deemed fit
for human use, according to the Taihu Baisin
Authority. Data from the State Council shows
that “black and odorous” water in the Zhejiang
province is almost eliminated; and Dongtiao
Creek – a major drinking source for the Yuhang
district in Hangzhou – went from “black to
swim-ready”, according to a report by the South
China Morning Post.
Greenpeace East Asia toxic campaigner
Heng Bao says the River Chief system is effective
because it holds human beings accountable, not
faceless government bodies.
“The River Chief system represents positive
momentum for China’s water management
and clarifies responsibility for cleaning up
water pollution. [It] has a positive impact by
clarifying who is responsible for cleaning up
polluted water and strengthening performance
evaluations for each river chief... we are likely
to see more positive results as the system is
applied more widely.”
Bao’s optimism translates even to the most
industrious parts of the country – the Yangtze
River Economic Belt and the Pearl River Delta,
which contribute 42% and 9.1% of the national
GDP respectively. Their rivers must be deemed
potable and suitable for swimming by 2020.
“The Yangtze River Delta and Pearl River
Delta are the most prosperous regions in
China, and local governments in these areas
have the financial resources and technology to
tackle the water pollution problem. The next
question is whether these improvements will be
prioritised. It seems like this is also the case. For
example, in Shanghai, the percentage of water
lower than Grade V (not suitable for drinking
and swimming) dropped by 22.4% from 2015
to 2016. Similarly, the River Chief system has
already been in place in Zhejiang and Jiangsu for
nearly 10 years, and has had a positive impact on
water quality.”
Since the system went into effect, more
than 900,000 Chiefs have been appointed. They
will remain responsible for all environmental
damage on their watch no matter where they are
transferred to later in their career.
Though China’s commitment today is
laudable, it’s arguably the fruit of a citizen
crusade more than a decade ago – that of Jun
Ma and his team at the Institute of Public &
Environmental Affairs (IPE).
Established in 2006, his non-profit
environmental research organisation launched
a public database – now in both website and
Android/iOS forms – that offers a comprehensive
collection of environmental quality, emissions
and pollution source records. To date, it draws
its source from governments of 31 provinces
and 338 cities as well as information disclosed
by enterprises based on relevant legislation and
corporate social responsibility requirements.
Though IPE has no legal pull, it hopes to
instil a sense of discipline when companies
and government bodies are coming up with
environmental management solutions by
broadcasting their every move. Aside from
calling out environmental violations frommore than 700,000 enterprises – most of them
Chinese-owned – Ma’s project impresses with
its search-friendly interactive interface (shown
right, above).
Ma’s database is one of the country’s first
to offer information on quality of air, water
and wastewater and is searchable by the river’s
location and classification. Also listed are River
Chiefs’ names and contact details as well as the
river restoration progress.
Certain consumer brands’ are also listed: so
far Gap Inc., Puma, Target, Esprit, New Balance
and Inditex – the mother company of labels like
Zara, Bershka and Oysho – have volunteered
their information.
Ma couldn’t be reached before publication
date, but Bao applauded all past and current
initiatives that promote transparency.
“It’s very welcome to see that transparency
around water-related issues has been
strengthened since the Water Ten went into effect
in 2015... Further increasing transparency
and monitoring will continue to have a positive
impact on water quality,” he says. AAAs even global schemes have shown,
empowering ordinary people can be trans-
formative. It’s early days for the China-wide
iteration of this River Chief iniative but
interested readers can search for ‘River
Chief ’ on iOS or Android platforms to find
national, regional or city-level mobile apps.
Alternatively, you can check out Ma Jun’s
IPE project at wwwen.ipe.org.cn