Chinese farms pollute even more than companies

Chinese factories are notorious but farmers and ranchers even pollute more than they. So says the first official census of China on the pollution in the country, which was made public this week. The study also shows that water pollution is twice as severe than previously thought, since the figures available so far had been omitted from agricultural waste.

In preparing the report have been taken two years of work. 570,000 people have participated and have collected six million data sources, which include factories, farms, households and waste treatment facilities. The next census will not be available until 2020.

According to the report, land cultivated by farmers more water polluting emissions from its factories. According to some sources quoted by 'The Guardian', the publication of the census was postponed due to opposition from the Chinese Agriculture Ministry, which in the past had insisted that farmers were responsible for only a small part of the environmental problem.

Some environmental groups believe that this report represents a small step on the path to the transparency of the Chinese system.
Heavy reliance on fertilizers

During the presentation of the census, the Agriculture Ministry spokesman Wang Yangliang, acknowledged the problems arising from intensive farming methods, "Fertilizers and pesticides have been important for increasing productivity but its misuse has also had a serious impact on the environment, "he said. "The rapid development of animal husbandry and aquaculture has produced lots of food but are major sources of pollution in our lives."

While the high numbers of rural pollution is partly explained by the enormous size of China's agricultural sector also reflect the heavy dependence on artificial methods such as fertilizers.

The Government asserts claims that are necessary because China has only 7% of land area to feed 22% of world population. And a 'lobby' industry is pushing for more use of chemicals.

Another serious problem is the unreliability of the data. Many businesses and local governments offer emissions figures well below reality. It is not yet measure different forms of pollution and some data are not made public. The deputy minister of environmental protection, Zhang Lijun, said that over the coming years will increase the measurement systems.