HONG KONG—Scores of peasants blocked a chemical fiber factory in southern Zhejiang for two days during China’s Oct. 1 National Day celebration to protest heavy noise, dust, and water pollution, villagers said.
The villagers, from Xinfeng township in Nanhu district, said the Fuda (Fulin) Chemical Fiber Factory produced heavy noise and dust pollution and contaminated their water, and they called on local authorities to close the factory.
A villager surnamed Wu said it was a longstanding problem.
“We have been expressing our grievances to the township and the factory for years, but they just tried to put us off. From July of this year, the power plant of the factory enlarged its steam transmission line, which made intolerable noises,” he said.
“So we blocked the front gate of the factory for two days.”
“Today the chief of Nanhu district and officials from the municipal Bureau of Environment and Bureau of Economics and Trade all showed up at the protest scene, but none of them mentioned the factory closing,” he said.
The Communist Party chief of Xinfeng township, Pan Beilong, said in an interview Tuesday that it would take time to settle the dispute.
“The factory’s new project in July made local residents complain about loud noise and dust pollution, but since then the factory has been studying the solutions. But residents are impatient, and they blocked the front gate for two days.”
“The district chief today promised residents on the scene that before Oct. 15, local government environmental and technical offices would come to examine and figure out alternatives according to national standards, and they would ask the factory to follow up,” he added.
Failure to pass
In August, environmental experts had already concluded that the factory didn't meet national standards on pollution, Wu said.
“We the people want the factory to stop operation. Without suspension of production, how can you make change?” he asked.
Another villager said that even before the new project in July, water pollution had already killed all fish in the river.
“In this area, all rivers have fish except ours. They all died off,” he said.
Wu said even ducks died at the river bank while looking for food.
Local media have turned a deaf ear to the situation, he said.
“I called a radio station in Hangzhou, and they said, ‘We understand your concern. If we go there, we will contact you.’
"But they never came. And media outlets from Jiaxing city have never showed up either. I gather this is because the government must have told them not to come."
Original reporting by Ding Xiao for RFA's Mandarin service. Translated by Ping Chen. Mandarin service director: Jennifer Chou. Written and produced in English by Sarah Jackson-Han.