Monday, August 5, 2013

Yueqing Bay test results controversy: Volunteers test soil "for the motherland", confront local authorities and question official test results

民间环保组织测出乐清湾汞超标 与官方"拍桌板"-中新网 - After recent reports saying that 80% of East China Sea coastline is polluted, the local Yueqing city level ocean and fisheries bureau released their tests results on Yueqing bay and told folks the seafood was safe.  Local volunteers were suspicious and did their own tests which disagreed with official tests, leading to a meeting in which the volunteers adopted a "pounding the table" attitude. Sounds like the environmental and fisheries dept head was getting long-winded and the volunteers took over and accused him of talking around the issues and making excuses. The volunteers tests were conducted July 13-19 and called "I tested the soil for the motherland" ("我为祖国测土壤")  中新网温州8月5日电 (见习记者 王译萱)日前,曾有媒体曝浙江乐清湾变垃圾场,逾8成东海近海面积遭污染,该事件引发了社会及民众的广泛关注。面对质疑,浙江省温州乐清市海洋与渔业局给出相关检测结果,并回应称:"乐清湾海鲜可放心吃。"而民间环保组织"自然科学"及乐清当地多名环保志愿者经过检测发现,乐清湾多处采样点存在汞超标的情况。 面对两份不同的检测结果,近日,乐清市环保局邀请环保志愿者、人大代表、热心市民等20余人,召开恳谈会,共话"乐清湾污染"问题。在此恳谈会上,环保志愿者们抓住机会,将各类尖锐的问题直接抛向当地海洋与渔业部门,据理力争,大有"拍桌板"的架势。 恳谈会开始之初,当地海洋与渔业局相关负责人就介绍了乐清湾海洋环境状况的相关情况。然而,该负责人近一个半小时的讲话,多次被志愿者打断。 "讲了这么多,我们听不到实质性的问题,讲的都是理由和困难。"待海洋与渔业局相关负责人发言完毕,乐清当地某陈姓人大代表早已按耐不住,立刻毫不留情地表示,希望了解官方和民间的两次检测结果为何不同,乐清湾是否存在污染?