Fishermen load bags of dead fish onto a forklift at the Mian Hua Tan reservoir in Yongding county, Fujian province, July 13, 2010. Credit: Reuters/China Daily
“Almost a quarter of China’s surface water remains so polluted that it is unfit even for industrial use, while less than half of total supplies are drinkable, data from the environment watchdog showed on Monday.
“Inspectors from China’s Ministry of Environmental Protection tested water samples from the country’s major rivers and lakes in the first half of the year and declared just 49.3 percent to be safe for drinking, up from 48 percent last year, the ministry said in a notice posted on its website (www.mep.gov.cn).
“China classifies its water supplies using six grades, with the first three grades considered safe for drinking and bathing.
“Another 26.4 percent was said to be categories IV and V — fit only for use in industry and agriculture — leaving a total of 24.3 percent in category VI and unfit for any purpose.”
read more: Reuters
Oh land, mercy sakes!! and other exclamations– How does this happen?? Oh, right, it is happening down the road from me. Maybe George Carlin is right and there is nothing I can do.
Or maybe that isn’t what he is saying at all. What he says is they own us and we can think– and be smart, and not believe the lies, and pay more attention to water than to football/ soccer/ whatever, beer. And people do need to wake up to the dire need to use the mind and address these pressing issues… but what are we going to do?