China puts localities’ feet to the fire to protect farmland, prevent illegal dumping
- Officials under the microscope as instances of illegal dumping, land exploitation receive scrutiny, reprimands from central government
- Violating rules on agricultural allotments prompts stricter punishments as food security becomes paramount
A massive build-up of illegal waste, resting on what was once arable farmland, is being cleared by authorities in northern China’s Ningxia Hui autonomous region after years of wanton dumping – the result of a state television exposé aired as Beijing stresses the need for food security.
Three officials from the capital city of Yinchuan have been suspended after the Monday report by CCTV revealed a 20-hectare field covered in layers of waste up to three metres thick, the Yinchuan government said on Thursday. The muck had accumulated over the course of eight years.
Food security has become a major concern globally as war rages in Ukraine and extreme-weather events induced by climate change intensify.
After dispatching dozens of vehicles to work around the clock, the Yinchuan government vowed to clear the site in four days and promised to reclaim the land after treatment of the area is completed. The rapid response followed fierce public criticism.
