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Deng Fei， a web journalist and social activist， has sparked a social media movement by asking a very simple question on the Twitter-like Sina Weibo： “How is the river in your hometown？ While you’re home for the holidays， take a photo of the river or stream in your hometown and upload it to Weibo for us to see.” In less than a week， the question has become one of the most hit topics in Weibo， with thousands of net-citizens responding to the call and posting the photos in Weibo.
After Mr. Deng’s Campaign was launched online， photos of a chemical plant “secretly discharging untreated waste water deep underground， using high-pressure injection wells to avoid supervision” in Weifang， Shandong province was posted， sparking a heated discussion online. Groundwater pollution hits the headlines in many newspapers again. State media including People’s Daily， Xinhua News Agency and China Central Television also have called to act against groundwater pollution.
How bad is the situation？
As you might have guessed， the condition of groundwater is horrifying. In 2010， a study conducted by the China Geological Survey （CGS） showed that more than 75 percent of groundwater in the North China Plain is not safe to drink without being properly purified. The study also revealed that groundwater in the North China Plain has been contaminated by heavy metals， chemical fertilizers， pesticides， herbicides， leaks from garbage dumps and sewage water.
In 2011， China’s Ministry of Land and Resources monitored the quality of groundwater in 200 cities， 55% of the groundwater in cities monitored were “poor or very poor” quality.
In 2012， Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology of Chinese Academy of Sciences entrusted by Greenpeace China launched a nationwide investigation into the quality of surface water and groundwater in some 80 densely populated areas such as Poyang Lake in Jiangxi Province， Dongting Lake in Hunan Province， Tai Lake in Jiangsu Province and the Three Gorges Reservoir. The investigation shows that the groundwater quality in many investigated areas failed to meet the lowest standard of water quality and was only fit for agriculture use.
In 2013， CGS issued another report regarding the ground pollution in China. The latest figure showed that 90 percent of China's groundwater is polluted， much of it are severely polluted. The report conducted a survey in 118 cities across China， indicating 64% of the urban groundwater was "severely" polluted and 33% "lightly" polluted. Only 3 % of groundwater could be considered clean. The situation is continuous worsening. Not a Single Incident
It is not the first time that China media reported on the groundwater contaminated by factories.
In May 2010， China Comment published a report on the underground waste discharge in Xidaying village， Hebei province. According to the report， polluting factories used high-pressure pumps to discharge huge volumes of their wastewater directly underground. Reporters found three crude pits in the ground， all full of dark brown wastewater. And no seepage prevention measures had been taken.
In January 2013， the South China Morning Post reported that a massive cadmium spill occurred in Guangxi’s Longjiang River as a result of a pumping chemical waste directly into a well linked to underground caverns by a mining company.
As Professor Shen Zhaoli of University of Geosciences commented that “deliberate， malicious waste discharge by factories has already become endemic” .
Even worse， groundwater is the common source of drinking water in China. Nearly 70% of the China’s population relies on groundwater for drinking. However， groundwater pollution leads to water depletion. According to a study conducted by the Chinese Ministry of Environment Protection and the Chinese Academy of Engineering in 2011， about 320 million people currently do not have access to clean drinking water， and 190 million people are drinking water that is severely contaminated with hazardous chemicals，
In an interview with China Daily， Zhang Zhaoji， a hydrogeology expert at the institute of hydrogeology and environmental geology under the Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences， said that the inferior quality of groundwater is damaging people’s health.
Cancer Villages
In the last few decades， China had open up to the world and became the “Factory of the World”. It has lifted millions out of poverty； meanwhile it has also brought diseases to many more. A new kind of village – the cancer village – is emerging in rural China.
As the name suggests， cancer villages normally refer to villages in the rural areas where exceptionally high cancer rates， usually of the same type， have been detected. Mr. Deng Fei estimated at least 100 cancer villages across China. But the number of cancer villages could be as high as 450， according to an analysis by geographer Lee Liu published in Environment magazine in 2010. Even worse， the “cancer villages” have been found in almost every province in China， except Tibet and Qinghai. Water contamination is believed to be the main cause of cancer villages. There is a close relationship between China's major rivers and the location of cancer villages， as cancer villages tend to cluster along the major rivers and their branches and are usually located near factory complexes.
"Many chemical and industrial enterprises are built along rivers so that they can dump the waste into water easily. Those wastes can pollute groundwater and the contaminated water has directly affected soil， crops and food.” Chen Zhizhou， of a cancer research institute affiliated to the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences， told China Daily.
So far， no official statistics is available on the total number all chemical emission sources， but in a survey of 40，000 chemical， pharmaceutical and petrochemical plants conducted by the Ministry of Environmental Protection in 2010 showed that 23% of those plants were within five kilometers， or three miles， upstream of drinking water sources and about 15，000 were near residential areas.
The location of all emission sources are also unknown， but many can be found in rural China， as many polluted plants are moving from coastal areas to inland due to the wealthy seashore cities are tightening up the environmental regulations and some regions are too poor to turn away business. This relocation trend also pushes the so-called “cancer belt” inland.
According to the study commissioned by the World Bank， Chinese farmers are almost four times more likely to be killed by liver cancer than the global average， as for stomach cancer， rural Chinese is twice as likely to die of stomach cancer. As these cancers are directly linked to the groundwater pollution.
Who should be Responsible for
the Groundwater Pollution？
The ultimate cause for pollutions， including groundwater pollution， is human activities， particularly agricultural and industrial activities. Groundwater pollution occurs when man-made contaminants such gasoline， oil， road salts， fertilizers， pesticides and other chemicals infiltrate into the groundwater and intoxicate the water， causing the water unsafe and unfit for human use. Various sectors of production activities like governments， industrial industries and agricultural industries are to be blamed for the groundwater pollution.
Governments： “Growth at all Costs” Approach and Lacking of Sufficient Monitoring
China’s “growth at all costs” approach should hold the main responsibility for the groundwater pollution， as the “economy first” policy causing all level governments encourage economic development at all costs， including polluting the environment. According to the Green GDP National Accounting Study issued in 2012， many local governments， that seek the economic growth， are willing to sacrifice the environment to attract investments from aboard and home. Attracting investment means bringing tax income to local governments， which is an important task to the poverty-stricken counties. Many local officials may concern about the environment， but GDP and finances always trump the environmental protection， as government officials need to generate income to pay public sector workers such as teachers and their performance evaluation has always based on the revenues they bringing in to the area. Therefore， pollution risks are always ignored： “attract the investment first and worry about any problems later”.
As far as local governments are concerned， the existence of environment bureau is no more than a formality and only helps smooth the process. In one case， the county-level environment bureau was required to carry out an environmental impact assessment for a new project over the course of 24 hours. Not much can be assessed within the 24 hours limit as all expected.
When a major pollution incident occurs， the government always gets involved. Local authorities often protect polluters by refusing to disclose information about pollution or to bring a criminal charge against polluters. In the case of Weifang， the local government insisted that the practice of discharging untreated waste water deep underground is not a widespread practice in the region， saying that they didn’t find any factories that are violating the discharge code. Protecting the polluters only makes the situation worse and further encourages polluters to disobey the environmental laws.
In addition to the mentality of “growth at all costs”， the government’s poor planning is another reason of groundwater pollution. As the China’s rapid economic growth， the demand of water increases， while the amount of polluted water discharged to the water system also increases. However， the infrastructure for wastewater treatment and disposal does not build to match the huge amount of wastewater that needed to be treated.
Another problem is the quality of infrastructures. Poor quality infrastructures like road， bridge and buildings have been found in many parts of China. The quality of sewer pipes has been also questioned by the public. Building good quality sewers are unattractive to many local government officials due to their invisibility； therefore， sewers have never been high on their agenda.
And the government’s poor monitoring leave scope for using poor materials and unskilled workers in building sewers. When sewers are leaking， they pose immediate risks of groundwater contamination. Former Chinese president Jiang Zemin once complained the quality of sewer pipes and said “If a country can send satellites and missiles into space， it should be able to dry up its toilets.” Industrial Activities： Inappropriate Wastewater Treatments and Mining Practices
Industrial activities have significant potential to affect large area of local and regional groundwater as a result of normal operations or adverse events. Activities considered as “industrial” include facilities that are engaged in manufacturing， chemical processing， power generation and mining. Clearly， in China， inappropriate and environmentally unfriendly industrial practices are the main reason behind the severe groundwater pollution.
As all may have known， the main source of groundwater pollution is the wastewater that contaminated with acids， toxic metals， oil， grease， dyes and even radioactive materials directly discharged by industrial units， without any treatment. This illegal practice is not uncommon in China.
To save the cost of proper wastewater treatment， many factories in China are using cheap methods to get rid of their wastewater， either by letting it seep slowly into underground， or by digging deep holes in the ground and pouring the wastewater inside. Both methods make wastewater “disappear”.
An investigation conducted by reporters from the China’s New Finance journal in Shandong revealed that it is easy and cheap for factories to dig wells to get rid of contaminated water. Only three men are needed to dig a 5-centimetre diameter drainage well， it can complete in one day without using a large-scale equipment. A printing and dyeing plant discharges approximately 200 tonnes of wastewater every day， it needs six wells to handle all wastewater and only costs around 1，200 yuan. The environmental equipment that needed to treat the wastewater costs about 200，000 yuan， and the daily operation pushes the cost even higher. Treating wastewater properly is much more expensive than digging wells.
As China’s economy growth， the demand for energy is rising. Coal mining is the main form of energy extraction in China. A number of results of operational activities like mining water and waste rock associated with coal mining pose a substantial risk to pollute groundwater resources. Mining water， commonly referred to acid mine drainage （AMD）， is water that is polluted from contacting with coal stocks， coal handling facilities， coal washeries， and even coal waste. It can directly pollute groundwater when mining is below the water table， or indirectly through seepage.
The waste rock is another significant environmental liability for coal mining activities， as those waste rocks are often disposed in large pits， dumps or tailings dams. When water （such as rainwater， surface water or mining water） infiltrates through waste dumps into subsurface water， groundwater quality can be also greatly affected. Other than extracting coals， getting the ore out of the mine is another reason for mining. Mineral ore contains valued metals such as gold or copper. To extract the valued metals， large quantities of waste rock are excavated. Then the ore is crushed into finely ground tailings. Chemical agents such as cyanide or sulphuric acid are used to separate the target mineral from the ore. When chemicals are leaked from the mine site and came in contact with groundwater， the groundwater will become toxic. In Guangdong Province， groundwater pollution has been caused mainly by mining activities， as huge amounts of heavy metals leak into groundwater in the process of washing mineral ore.
Agricultural Activities： Excessive Use of Fertilizers and Pesticides
Although China is experiencing transformation an agricultural society to an industrial society， agriculture is still a vital economic activity in China. And China has about 1.22 million square kilometers of farmland， according to the China's environment ministry. Any environmental unfriendly practice on the farmland can lead to serious groundwater pollution in China.
Commercial fertilizers， containing with nitrogen and phosphorus， are widely used in the agricultural sector to pursuit the bigger harvests of crops， vegetables and fruits. The excessive use of commercial fertilizers is causing nitrogen pollution of groundwater and has become an increasingly serious problem in China， as nitrogen and phosphorus percolate and leach easily into the groundwater through the soil. As a result， the shallow aquifers suffer from contamination.
Ms. Pan Wenjing， a Greenpeace food and agriculture campaigner， told the Global Times some highly toxic fertilizers are commonly and excessively used in China."Few people know that this fertilizer will remain in the soil and pollute the drinking water，" she said， noting that currently China does not have regulations on the use of nitrogenous fertilizers.
Another inappropriate practice in the agricultural sector is the excessive use of pesticides. Indeed， using pesticides can prevent harm by pests and largely improve the product of crops. However， the excessive use of pesticides in China is reaching a tipping point. According to a report by the National Business Daily， the average use of pesticides per hectare in China is three to five times higher than in most other countries.
Although the China’s Ministry of Agriculture forbids using highly toxic and hypertoxic agricultural chemicals for insect control and those chemicals cannot be applied to vegetables， melons， fruits， tea， and herbs used in traditional Chinese medicine， a strict monitoring system of using pesticides is missing. “The Ministry of Agriculture has standards for use， but if the standard says to use one bottle cap’s worth of pesticide the farmers will use three， just to make sure.” Xu Ming， director of the Pollution Prevention Office at the Ministry of Agriculture’s Agro-Environmental Protection Institute， said. Over the years， we all have witnessed the growing public anger over food safety issues in China. When the groundwater is polluted， it will be a threat to food safety. Ensuring a clean and pollution-free groundwater becomes an urgent task for the government. What are the Chinese government responses to groundwater pollution？
2011-2020 National Groundwater
Pollution Prevention Plan
Over a decade， Chinese scientists have urged the government to take action on groundwater pollution. However， little has been achieved until recently. In 2011， the Ministry of Environmental Protection announced the 2011-2020 National Groundwater Pollution Prevention Plan， which aims to curb groundwater pollution that is leading to toxic and un-drinkable water and causing a number of fatal illnesses like cholera， diarrhea， malaria and cancer.
This plan is the first comprehensive national plan combining with legal， economic， technological and administrative measures to address groundwater pollution in China. The plan sets the ambitious target of making groundwater pollution free by 2020.
According to the 10-year plan， the China’s ministries of environmental protection， land and resources， and water resources will invest a total of 34.66 billion yuan （around 5.48 billion U.S. dollars） on the prevention and treatment of pollution in the country's groundwater in 2011-2020. The money will go to six categories of projects， including survey， prevention， remediation of groundwater pollution， control of pollution in underground drinking water sources， agriculture-related groundwater pollution control， and underground water environment monitoring capacity building.
Under the plan， the Chinese government is expected to form a general understanding of the country's groundwater pollution situation， to have the basic control of groundwater pollution and to establish monitoring systems by 2015. By 2020， a comprehensive monitoring system of groundwater pollution sources such as garbage and industrial wastes should also be established， the basic drinking safety of groundwater should be ensured， the quality of groundwater in key areas like the North China’s Plain and the Yangtze River Delta should be significantly improved and the prevention system of groundwater pollution should be fully applied.
In order to implement the plan， the Ministry of Environmental Protection in conjunction with the Land Department， Ministry of Water Resources and the Ministry of Finance started the National Groundwater Foundation Survey Assessment in the "12th Five-Year period. In 2011， Beijing， Shandong， Guizhou and Hainan were selected as the pilot regions to carry out the groundwater investigation and assessment. To protect the drinking water sources， the plan suggest to transform the pipeline systems， to improve urban sewage treatment rate and reuse rate， to gradually reduce the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides implementing forests and grasslands in the water source protection areas and to increase investments in groundwater pollution prevention technology and its applications.
Another key area of the plan is strengthening the enforcement of the environmental laws and improving the relevant laws， regulations and standards system. The “Water Pollution Control Act” should be strictly implemented. Relevant units and individuals responsible for groundwater pollution shall be held liable and accountable for the damage. All construction projects and groundwater pollution control projects shall strictly follow the requirements of "Environmental Impact Assessment Act” to carry out environmental impact assessment. The government also strengthens the management of groundwater in rural areas and the western region， preventing enterprises that can cause severe groundwater pollution from transferring to those water sensitive areas.
Educating the public on the importance of protecting groundwater is also suggested in the 10-year plan. It suggests utilizing the mass media like television， Internet， radio， newspapers and magazines and the important environmental advocacy activities like the World Environment Day and the Earth Day to enhance the awareness of groundwater protection and to popularize the knowledge of groundwater pollution prevention and the dangers of groundwater pollution.
If the plan is successfully implemented， groundwater will be safe to drink again.
After Mr. Deng’s Campaign was launched online， photos of a chemical plant “secretly discharging untreated waste water deep underground， using high-pressure injection wells to avoid supervision” in Weifang， Shandong province was posted， sparking a heated discussion online. Groundwater pollution hits the headlines in many newspapers again. State media including People’s Daily， Xinhua News Agency and China Central Television also have called to act against groundwater pollution.
How bad is the situation？
As you might have guessed， the condition of groundwater is horrifying. In 2010， a study conducted by the China Geological Survey （CGS） showed that more than 75 percent of groundwater in the North China Plain is not safe to drink without being properly purified. The study also revealed that groundwater in the North China Plain has been contaminated by heavy metals， chemical fertilizers， pesticides， herbicides， leaks from garbage dumps and sewage water.
In 2011， China’s Ministry of Land and Resources monitored the quality of groundwater in 200 cities， 55% of the groundwater in cities monitored were “poor or very poor” quality.
In 2012， Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology of Chinese Academy of Sciences entrusted by Greenpeace China launched a nationwide investigation into the quality of surface water and groundwater in some 80 densely populated areas such as Poyang Lake in Jiangxi Province， Dongting Lake in Hunan Province， Tai Lake in Jiangsu Province and the Three Gorges Reservoir. The investigation shows that the groundwater quality in many investigated areas failed to meet the lowest standard of water quality and was only fit for agriculture use.
In 2013， CGS issued another report regarding the ground pollution in China. The latest figure showed that 90 percent of China's groundwater is polluted， much of it are severely polluted. The report conducted a survey in 118 cities across China， indicating 64% of the urban groundwater was "severely" polluted and 33% "lightly" polluted. Only 3 % of groundwater could be considered clean. The situation is continuous worsening. Not a Single Incident
It is not the first time that China media reported on the groundwater contaminated by factories.
In May 2010， China Comment published a report on the underground waste discharge in Xidaying village， Hebei province. According to the report， polluting factories used high-pressure pumps to discharge huge volumes of their wastewater directly underground. Reporters found three crude pits in the ground， all full of dark brown wastewater. And no seepage prevention measures had been taken.
In January 2013， the South China Morning Post reported that a massive cadmium spill occurred in Guangxi’s Longjiang River as a result of a pumping chemical waste directly into a well linked to underground caverns by a mining company.
As Professor Shen Zhaoli of University of Geosciences commented that “deliberate， malicious waste discharge by factories has already become endemic” .
Even worse， groundwater is the common source of drinking water in China. Nearly 70% of the China’s population relies on groundwater for drinking. However， groundwater pollution leads to water depletion. According to a study conducted by the Chinese Ministry of Environment Protection and the Chinese Academy of Engineering in 2011， about 320 million people currently do not have access to clean drinking water， and 190 million people are drinking water that is severely contaminated with hazardous chemicals，
In an interview with China Daily， Zhang Zhaoji， a hydrogeology expert at the institute of hydrogeology and environmental geology under the Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences， said that the inferior quality of groundwater is damaging people’s health.
Cancer Villages
In the last few decades， China had open up to the world and became the “Factory of the World”. It has lifted millions out of poverty； meanwhile it has also brought diseases to many more. A new kind of village – the cancer village – is emerging in rural China.
As the name suggests， cancer villages normally refer to villages in the rural areas where exceptionally high cancer rates， usually of the same type， have been detected. Mr. Deng Fei estimated at least 100 cancer villages across China. But the number of cancer villages could be as high as 450， according to an analysis by geographer Lee Liu published in Environment magazine in 2010. Even worse， the “cancer villages” have been found in almost every province in China， except Tibet and Qinghai. Water contamination is believed to be the main cause of cancer villages. There is a close relationship between China's major rivers and the location of cancer villages， as cancer villages tend to cluster along the major rivers and their branches and are usually located near factory complexes.
"Many chemical and industrial enterprises are built along rivers so that they can dump the waste into water easily. Those wastes can pollute groundwater and the contaminated water has directly affected soil， crops and food.” Chen Zhizhou， of a cancer research institute affiliated to the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences， told China Daily.
So far， no official statistics is available on the total number all chemical emission sources， but in a survey of 40，000 chemical， pharmaceutical and petrochemical plants conducted by the Ministry of Environmental Protection in 2010 showed that 23% of those plants were within five kilometers， or three miles， upstream of drinking water sources and about 15，000 were near residential areas.
The location of all emission sources are also unknown， but many can be found in rural China， as many polluted plants are moving from coastal areas to inland due to the wealthy seashore cities are tightening up the environmental regulations and some regions are too poor to turn away business. This relocation trend also pushes the so-called “cancer belt” inland.
According to the study commissioned by the World Bank， Chinese farmers are almost four times more likely to be killed by liver cancer than the global average， as for stomach cancer， rural Chinese is twice as likely to die of stomach cancer. As these cancers are directly linked to the groundwater pollution.
Who should be Responsible for
the Groundwater Pollution？
The ultimate cause for pollutions， including groundwater pollution， is human activities， particularly agricultural and industrial activities. Groundwater pollution occurs when man-made contaminants such gasoline， oil， road salts， fertilizers， pesticides and other chemicals infiltrate into the groundwater and intoxicate the water， causing the water unsafe and unfit for human use. Various sectors of production activities like governments， industrial industries and agricultural industries are to be blamed for the groundwater pollution.
Governments： “Growth at all Costs” Approach and Lacking of Sufficient Monitoring
China’s “growth at all costs” approach should hold the main responsibility for the groundwater pollution， as the “economy first” policy causing all level governments encourage economic development at all costs， including polluting the environment. According to the Green GDP National Accounting Study issued in 2012， many local governments， that seek the economic growth， are willing to sacrifice the environment to attract investments from aboard and home. Attracting investment means bringing tax income to local governments， which is an important task to the poverty-stricken counties. Many local officials may concern about the environment， but GDP and finances always trump the environmental protection， as government officials need to generate income to pay public sector workers such as teachers and their performance evaluation has always based on the revenues they bringing in to the area. Therefore， pollution risks are always ignored： “attract the investment first and worry about any problems later”.
As far as local governments are concerned， the existence of environment bureau is no more than a formality and only helps smooth the process. In one case， the county-level environment bureau was required to carry out an environmental impact assessment for a new project over the course of 24 hours. Not much can be assessed within the 24 hours limit as all expected.
When a major pollution incident occurs， the government always gets involved. Local authorities often protect polluters by refusing to disclose information about pollution or to bring a criminal charge against polluters. In the case of Weifang， the local government insisted that the practice of discharging untreated waste water deep underground is not a widespread practice in the region， saying that they didn’t find any factories that are violating the discharge code. Protecting the polluters only makes the situation worse and further encourages polluters to disobey the environmental laws.
In addition to the mentality of “growth at all costs”， the government’s poor planning is another reason of groundwater pollution. As the China’s rapid economic growth， the demand of water increases， while the amount of polluted water discharged to the water system also increases. However， the infrastructure for wastewater treatment and disposal does not build to match the huge amount of wastewater that needed to be treated.
Another problem is the quality of infrastructures. Poor quality infrastructures like road， bridge and buildings have been found in many parts of China. The quality of sewer pipes has been also questioned by the public. Building good quality sewers are unattractive to many local government officials due to their invisibility； therefore， sewers have never been high on their agenda.
And the government’s poor monitoring leave scope for using poor materials and unskilled workers in building sewers. When sewers are leaking， they pose immediate risks of groundwater contamination. Former Chinese president Jiang Zemin once complained the quality of sewer pipes and said “If a country can send satellites and missiles into space， it should be able to dry up its toilets.” Industrial Activities： Inappropriate Wastewater Treatments and Mining Practices
Industrial activities have significant potential to affect large area of local and regional groundwater as a result of normal operations or adverse events. Activities considered as “industrial” include facilities that are engaged in manufacturing， chemical processing， power generation and mining. Clearly， in China， inappropriate and environmentally unfriendly industrial practices are the main reason behind the severe groundwater pollution.
As all may have known， the main source of groundwater pollution is the wastewater that contaminated with acids， toxic metals， oil， grease， dyes and even radioactive materials directly discharged by industrial units， without any treatment. This illegal practice is not uncommon in China.
To save the cost of proper wastewater treatment， many factories in China are using cheap methods to get rid of their wastewater， either by letting it seep slowly into underground， or by digging deep holes in the ground and pouring the wastewater inside. Both methods make wastewater “disappear”.
An investigation conducted by reporters from the China’s New Finance journal in Shandong revealed that it is easy and cheap for factories to dig wells to get rid of contaminated water. Only three men are needed to dig a 5-centimetre diameter drainage well， it can complete in one day without using a large-scale equipment. A printing and dyeing plant discharges approximately 200 tonnes of wastewater every day， it needs six wells to handle all wastewater and only costs around 1，200 yuan. The environmental equipment that needed to treat the wastewater costs about 200，000 yuan， and the daily operation pushes the cost even higher. Treating wastewater properly is much more expensive than digging wells.
As China’s economy growth， the demand for energy is rising. Coal mining is the main form of energy extraction in China. A number of results of operational activities like mining water and waste rock associated with coal mining pose a substantial risk to pollute groundwater resources. Mining water， commonly referred to acid mine drainage （AMD）， is water that is polluted from contacting with coal stocks， coal handling facilities， coal washeries， and even coal waste. It can directly pollute groundwater when mining is below the water table， or indirectly through seepage.
The waste rock is another significant environmental liability for coal mining activities， as those waste rocks are often disposed in large pits， dumps or tailings dams. When water （such as rainwater， surface water or mining water） infiltrates through waste dumps into subsurface water， groundwater quality can be also greatly affected. Other than extracting coals， getting the ore out of the mine is another reason for mining. Mineral ore contains valued metals such as gold or copper. To extract the valued metals， large quantities of waste rock are excavated. Then the ore is crushed into finely ground tailings. Chemical agents such as cyanide or sulphuric acid are used to separate the target mineral from the ore. When chemicals are leaked from the mine site and came in contact with groundwater， the groundwater will become toxic. In Guangdong Province， groundwater pollution has been caused mainly by mining activities， as huge amounts of heavy metals leak into groundwater in the process of washing mineral ore.
Agricultural Activities： Excessive Use of Fertilizers and Pesticides
Although China is experiencing transformation an agricultural society to an industrial society， agriculture is still a vital economic activity in China. And China has about 1.22 million square kilometers of farmland， according to the China's environment ministry. Any environmental unfriendly practice on the farmland can lead to serious groundwater pollution in China.
Commercial fertilizers， containing with nitrogen and phosphorus， are widely used in the agricultural sector to pursuit the bigger harvests of crops， vegetables and fruits. The excessive use of commercial fertilizers is causing nitrogen pollution of groundwater and has become an increasingly serious problem in China， as nitrogen and phosphorus percolate and leach easily into the groundwater through the soil. As a result， the shallow aquifers suffer from contamination.
Ms. Pan Wenjing， a Greenpeace food and agriculture campaigner， told the Global Times some highly toxic fertilizers are commonly and excessively used in China."Few people know that this fertilizer will remain in the soil and pollute the drinking water，" she said， noting that currently China does not have regulations on the use of nitrogenous fertilizers.
Another inappropriate practice in the agricultural sector is the excessive use of pesticides. Indeed， using pesticides can prevent harm by pests and largely improve the product of crops. However， the excessive use of pesticides in China is reaching a tipping point. According to a report by the National Business Daily， the average use of pesticides per hectare in China is three to five times higher than in most other countries.
Although the China’s Ministry of Agriculture forbids using highly toxic and hypertoxic agricultural chemicals for insect control and those chemicals cannot be applied to vegetables， melons， fruits， tea， and herbs used in traditional Chinese medicine， a strict monitoring system of using pesticides is missing. “The Ministry of Agriculture has standards for use， but if the standard says to use one bottle cap’s worth of pesticide the farmers will use three， just to make sure.” Xu Ming， director of the Pollution Prevention Office at the Ministry of Agriculture’s Agro-Environmental Protection Institute， said. Over the years， we all have witnessed the growing public anger over food safety issues in China. When the groundwater is polluted， it will be a threat to food safety. Ensuring a clean and pollution-free groundwater becomes an urgent task for the government. What are the Chinese government responses to groundwater pollution？
2011-2020 National Groundwater
Pollution Prevention Plan
Over a decade， Chinese scientists have urged the government to take action on groundwater pollution. However， little has been achieved until recently. In 2011， the Ministry of Environmental Protection announced the 2011-2020 National Groundwater Pollution Prevention Plan， which aims to curb groundwater pollution that is leading to toxic and un-drinkable water and causing a number of fatal illnesses like cholera， diarrhea， malaria and cancer.
This plan is the first comprehensive national plan combining with legal， economic， technological and administrative measures to address groundwater pollution in China. The plan sets the ambitious target of making groundwater pollution free by 2020.
According to the 10-year plan， the China’s ministries of environmental protection， land and resources， and water resources will invest a total of 34.66 billion yuan （around 5.48 billion U.S. dollars） on the prevention and treatment of pollution in the country's groundwater in 2011-2020. The money will go to six categories of projects， including survey， prevention， remediation of groundwater pollution， control of pollution in underground drinking water sources， agriculture-related groundwater pollution control， and underground water environment monitoring capacity building.
Under the plan， the Chinese government is expected to form a general understanding of the country's groundwater pollution situation， to have the basic control of groundwater pollution and to establish monitoring systems by 2015. By 2020， a comprehensive monitoring system of groundwater pollution sources such as garbage and industrial wastes should also be established， the basic drinking safety of groundwater should be ensured， the quality of groundwater in key areas like the North China’s Plain and the Yangtze River Delta should be significantly improved and the prevention system of groundwater pollution should be fully applied.
In order to implement the plan， the Ministry of Environmental Protection in conjunction with the Land Department， Ministry of Water Resources and the Ministry of Finance started the National Groundwater Foundation Survey Assessment in the "12th Five-Year period. In 2011， Beijing， Shandong， Guizhou and Hainan were selected as the pilot regions to carry out the groundwater investigation and assessment. To protect the drinking water sources， the plan suggest to transform the pipeline systems， to improve urban sewage treatment rate and reuse rate， to gradually reduce the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides implementing forests and grasslands in the water source protection areas and to increase investments in groundwater pollution prevention technology and its applications.
Another key area of the plan is strengthening the enforcement of the environmental laws and improving the relevant laws， regulations and standards system. The “Water Pollution Control Act” should be strictly implemented. Relevant units and individuals responsible for groundwater pollution shall be held liable and accountable for the damage. All construction projects and groundwater pollution control projects shall strictly follow the requirements of "Environmental Impact Assessment Act” to carry out environmental impact assessment. The government also strengthens the management of groundwater in rural areas and the western region， preventing enterprises that can cause severe groundwater pollution from transferring to those water sensitive areas.
Educating the public on the importance of protecting groundwater is also suggested in the 10-year plan. It suggests utilizing the mass media like television， Internet， radio， newspapers and magazines and the important environmental advocacy activities like the World Environment Day and the Earth Day to enhance the awareness of groundwater protection and to popularize the knowledge of groundwater pollution prevention and the dangers of groundwater pollution.
If the plan is successfully implemented， groundwater will be safe to drink again.