Groundwater quality must be protected

The quality of groundwater at the majority of monitoring points nationally is rated as poor or extremely poor, according to an annual report issued by the Ministry of Land and Resources on Saturday.

Greater attention needs to be paid to the quality of groundwater to help raise people's awareness and to get local authorities to act on the issue, says an article in Guangzhou Daily (excerpts below).

With the improvement of environmental awareness, citizens are now taking an active part in exposing and reporting water pollution. Compared with surface water pollution, groundwater pollution is more difficult to notice and track. The latest report gives people a general idea of the groundwater conditions in the country.

According to the report, about 60 percent of 4,929 monitoring points nationwide are recording poor or extremely poor groundwater quality, and some tested samples even contain heavy metals at levels that exceed the national standard. Compared with the statistics a year earlier, around 20 percent of the monitoring points reported worse results and only 17 percent reported better results.

Many Internet users are demanding a more detailed disclosure of the groundwater quality nationwide. This is reasonable.

General data, without details, will not help uncover who is actually accountable for the pollution. Besides, without external pressure, local authorities are not likely to take the initiative in tackling the issue.