Beautifying the countryside

The construction of a beautiful countryside has been set as an important goal in the country’s rural revitalization strategy. The strategy, mapped out by the top authorities in January, lists a beautiful countryside, competitive modern agriculture, and farmers’ prosperity as its three major goals.

The central authorities released a three-year action plan in February aimed at improving the rural living environment and raising villagers’ awareness of environmental protection.

Local governments, therefore, should have strengthened their efforts to take real and viable measures to resolve the long-standing rural environment issues for the sake of rural residents’ wellbeing. However, this is not the case in some regions. Recently, media reports revealed a series of worsening environmental issues such as the dumping of industrial waste and other garbage by local factories near some villages in Shaanxi and other provinces, which pose a serious hazard to the health of local residents.

The delay in efforts by local governments to solve such problems and the lack of effective supervision highlight the weak environmental enforcement in the countryside and thus the weakness of the rural revitalization campaign.

And garbage disposal is a problem that affects the development of rural areas and agriculture. The growth in waste produced by villagers is related to their improving living conditions, but also to the lack of environmental protection awareness, lack of garbage disposal facilities and the lack of an effective supervision system. It is also closely related to local governments’ shorted-sighted approach that puts economic development before the environment.

Whether local governments will take practical measures to cultivate and boost their environmental protection efforts by holding environment polluters accountable, promoting garbage sorting and recycling and raising villagers’ environmental protection awareness directly decides if the central authorities’ strategy for rural revitalization is smoothly implemented.

— NANFANG DAILY