More than 20 trucks have roared into Wengjianao Village every
day since November 2, dumping garbage around the clock. Over 10,000
tons of rubbish has turned the small village in central China's Hubei Province into a stinking trash heap.
Annoyed villagers have tried to stop the dumping but piles of
rubbish continue to eat away their land, polluting drinking water
and crop fields. One villager was even beaten up by the workers for
interrupting dumping.
According to Chutian Metropolis News, the garbage came
from nearby Yanglan Village. Previously a garbage disposal center,
Yanglan is now surrounded by high-rise buildings, and the property
developer is excavating old garbage for further construction.
A man surnamed Lu in charge of garbage transferal argued their
operation was approved by Wengjianao Village. A manager from the
developer's office confirmed they had spent 100,000 yuan as a
garbage-transfer fee.
However, Wengjianao villagers deny ever giving permission for
the dump. An official surnamed Yang revealed that Weng, the leader
of Group 12 had agreed to the dumping after taking an illegal
bribe. Cheng Fujun, the Party secretary of the village said Weng's
personal activities couldn't represent the wishes of the
village.
According to the city's urban planning bureau, the property
development project in Yanglan Village was approved as a part of
the city's housing program. Xiao Longbin, director of the city
sanitation bureau said he was aware of the garbage transferal but
knew nothing about where it would be dumped.
According to the news report, Ma Zaixue, the Party secretary of
Echeng District has launched an investigation into this
dispute.
(China.org.cn by Huang Shan November 9, 2007)
