Environmental impact assessment must be made public

The commercial hub of Shenzhen in South China's Guangdong province recently witnessed a second wave of public anger against Xiaping landfill, the largest in the city, because its first environmental impact assessment has yet been made public. According to the latest revision of China's environmental law in April, the full text of all environmental impact statements should be published for public supervision.

The local authorities, ignoring mounting public complaints and the environmental watchdog's stern warning, refuse to publish the report on the landfill, which has literally created a stink in the neighborhood for more than two years. The Shenzhen habitation and environment commission and the urban management authorities have been blaming each other for the "delay".

Residents allege that the authorities have been citing clumsy excuses to withhold the content of the report from the public to cover up some of their irreversible mistakes.