Pollution accidents must be reported quickly

Someone should take the blame in instances of delayed reporting, which not only violate regulations but also do residents tremendous harm, according to an article in the Beijing News Daily. Excerpts:

Water pollution from a chemical factory in Changzhi, Shanxi province, has affected millions of residents in three provinces. Even though the chemical leak that caused the contamination occurred on Dec 26, 2012, provincial authorities did not receive a report about it until 11 days later. According to pertinent regulations, the environmental accident should have been reported to the provincial authorities within an hour after it had occurred.

A spokesman for the municipal government tried to excuse the delay, saying there was no need to report the accident to superior authorities if the pollution did not leave the city. At the same time, he said the pollution's results have been underestimated.

The official's excuse does not hold water. The factory from which the pollution emanated was equipped in March 2008 with a system that can report real-time pollution data. The system cost more than 800 million yuan ($127 million) and was reputed to be able to send its real-time reports to the provincial environmental authority.

The recent accident suggests it doesn't work as well as promised. Reporting on accidents is still being carried out by officials in the government system. There should be a system in place that can be used to hold accountable authorities who fail to fulfill their responsibilities to evaluate and report pollution. Any second that they waste will only add to the cost of accidents.