Hasten responses to haze

There is a mocking joke that environmental protection in Beijing relies primarily on the winds.

This is not fair, because it neglects the contribution of the heavy summer rains.

Much-touted intervention campaigns have dug financial black holes, yet present little in return.

Last week in Beijing, and elsewhere in North China, a noxious haze prompted an orange alert, and most earlier boasts and promises turned out to be worthless.

More astounding than the dense haze itself was the Ministry of Environmental Protection's revelation of what it discovered during those difficult days: Emergency responses were surprisingly inadequate.

In most places, responses were found to be "more format than substance". Some anti-pollution regimes did not cover major local polluters, rendering response programs useless. Inter-departmental coordination was poor, resulting in a considerable amount of foot-dragging.

It is worth noting that the eight cities to which the ministry dispatched inspectors were all on the country's most-polluted list.

In the national air quality watchdog's own words, those cities were going through the motions when it came to their emergency responses.

We were told that responses to serious smog include traffic controls and the suspension of industrial activities that cause pollution. But few were put into practice effectively last week.

The sad truth is it was again the mercy of Mother Nature that relieved Beijing and North China from the annoying haze. Beijing and the rest of the region would not have seen blue skies had it not been for the wind that blew in late on Saturday.

People would not complain if they had not heard big talk about the level of preparedness, and learned of the generous levels of investment. Now they deserve to know why, after all the talk, local authorities appeared so inadequately prepared.

We know they cannot do much once heavy haze has formed and has us firmly in its grip, but still the lack of an appropriate response is truly worrying.

We know that the work has to be done way before the situation becomes impossible to solve. And that pollution control is a long-term task, rather than a matter of emergency responses. Still, the inadequate reactions the ministry has highlighted are unnerving.

They are a disappointing reminder that, the next time a toxic haze lays siege to Beijing, we will have to wait for another cold front. Or will we?