Sampling report on drinking water quality in 29 cities nationwide： 14 cities have unqualified water quality.
The China Water Safety Public Welfare Fund sampled and tested the drinking water quality of residents in 29 large and medium-sized cities in China for three months. The results showed that 14 cities were found to be unqualified in one or more indicators, accounting for about 48% of the total number of sampled cities.
"This special water quality survey is a way of supervision, and the ultimate goal is to arouse the attention of all sectors of society to the water environment and participate together. This is the most ideal result." Chen Lisha, deputy executive director of China Water Security Fund, told The Paper (www.thepaper.cn) on February 1st.
In recent years, tap water safety incidents have occurred frequently. In April, 2014, Lanzhou tap water pollution incident put the drinking water quality problem in the spotlight again, and drinking water safety has become the focus of the whole society.
In order to know the quality of drinking water in cities, China Water Safety Public Welfare Fund of China Social Assistance Foundation took three months to sample and test the drinking water quality of residents in 29 large and medium-sized cities in China from November 2014 to January 2015.
According to the requirements of "Hygienic Standard for Drinking Water" (GB5749-2006), the Foundation selected 20 detection indicators that can directly reflect the water quality, including 10 sensory indicators and chemical indicators such as total residual chlorine, PH value, turbidity, etc. Seven toxicological indexes such as fluoride, lead, cadmium and arsenic; Two microbial indicators, such as the total number of bacteria and total coliforms, and one organic indicator, TOC (total organic carbon).
As the person in charge of this project, Chen Lisha told The Paper that the sampling results can reflect whether there are certain security risks in residents’ water use to a certain extent, but due to the complexity of this water supply chain program, it needs to be compared with the data of local government, water conservancy bureau and other relevant departments. In view of the problems reflected in the test report and the unqualified indicators, further investigation will be made and specific measures will be taken.
"The water quality survey project will continue, and we will try our best to expand the coverage of this plan to every part of the country, and pay more attention to the heavily polluted areas," Chen Lisha said.
A total of 89 water samples were selected for this test, all of which were taken from urban residential areas and used as terminal water for residents’ daily life. According to the test data, 20 drinking water indicators in 15 of the 29 cities are all qualified; There are one or more unqualified indicators in 14 cities, accounting for about 48% of the total number of cities sampled, of which 4 indicators in Changchun are unqualified.
Dialogue with Chen Lisha
The PaperWhy do you think of conducting a special survey on water quality?
chen lishaBecause the safety of domestic water is related to the personal interests of residents. During this period, there were a lot of tap water safety incidents exposed by the media. Doing this survey wants more people to care about the environmental problems and water quality safety around them and attract everyone’s attention.
The PaperThis time, I chose 29 large and medium-sized cities (including Shanghai, Beijing, Xiamen, etc.). What are the reasons for choosing these cities?
chen lishaOur plan is to promote the testing and investigation of domestic water use in batches, and the current 29 cities are the first batch. Relatively speaking, choosing municipalities directly under the central government and provincial capital cities can make it easier to find relevant and suitable testing institutions, on the one hand, it can facilitate sampling and testing and save costs; On the other hand, it is beneficial to ensure the reliability of samples and the authenticity of data.
The PaperWhy didn’t you first select some places with serious pollution exposed by the media for investigation?
chen lishaIn fact, we have been paying attention to those areas with serious water pollution, and we have done relevant investigations before. However, those areas are often remote and lack of testing conditions. However, the Foundation is gradually advancing and expanding the coverage of the survey to some county towns and even areas that have not yet been discovered.
The PaperThe survey results show that the indicators in some areas are unqualified. What will the Foundation do next?
chen lishaTo some extent, the survey results can reflect the hidden dangers of water use in a certain community or region, but it needs to be compared with the data of local governments and other departments. Make further investigation and take measures according to the problems reflected in the test report and the unqualified indicators.
The PaperDo you think the current situation of water environment in China is grim or relatively safe?
chen lishaAccording to the on-the-spot investigation and collected information and data, the pollution of surface water and groundwater in China is very serious. One is that the discharge of industrial sewage is not standardized, and the discharged sewage does not reach the national index, which not only pollutes the air, but also brings greater hidden dangers to agriculture and animal husbandry. The other is that the public’s environmental awareness is weak, and they don’t realize the seriousness of the water environment, and they are often the "culprit" who leads to the pollution of the water around them.
The PaperWhat efforts have the relevant departments made to improve the environment in recent years?
chen lishaIn fact, the government attaches great importance to environmental issues. The normative documents issued by the State Council in recent years range from encouraging social capital to invest in eco-environmental industries to the third-party pollution control model, and the government’s policy of purchasing social services issued in 2013. It also includes the improvement of the environmental public interest litigation system, which is a good improvement.
The Paper: What are the shortcomings?
chen lishaIn dealing with the destruction of the ecological environment, accountability and law enforcement are not so powerful. Some local governments are very protective of polluting enterprises, and they have not really urged them to stop production and reform for exposed illegal acts, but turned a blind eye.
In recent years, industrial parks have a tendency to move to the west or backward areas, discharging pollutants at will, which has brought a lot of troubles to residents’ lives. This should be highly valued by the relevant departments, just like anti-corruption, and it is necessary to call for a high-pressure situation. I don’t want the "cancer villages" to be added on the map of China.
The Paper: What is the ultimate goal of this survey?
chen lishaThis special investigation on water quality is a way of supervision. The ultimate goal is to arouse the attention of all sectors of society to the water environment and participate together. This is the most ideal result. Protecting the environment is not only the mission of the Foundation, but also the mission of everyone. Everyone, from countries and governments to enterprises and individuals, should have the awareness of protecting the environment.
(Note: China Water Security Public Welfare Fund is a cross-border public welfare platform initiated by the environmental protection, legal, media and public welfare circles in Deng Fei, aiming at promoting water pollution treatment and realizing water security in China by integrating resources from all walks of life. It is a public welfare fund with legal public offering qualification and supports the national pollution control action. )