Chemical giants set up operations in the Three Gorges – how to prevent secondary disasters

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Author: Wang Yongchen (Environmental journalist based in Beijing) Recent media reports have focused on the plan by the global chemical giant BASF to build the world’s largest MDI production facility in the Three Gorges reservoir area of the Yangtze River. It is also reported that the Ministry of Environmental Protection has, in principle, approved the environmental impact assessment for BASF’s MDI project in Chongqing. (According to the February 7 issue of 21st Century Business Herald) The author noticed that in the environmental impact assessment reports that have been made public online on two occasions, there is one \"omission\" that is cause for concern: namely, how secondary geological disasters will be prevented in the area where the world’s largest reservoir is being built, which will also serve as the site for the world’s largest chemical manufacturing complex. Following the Wenchuan earthquake on May 12, 2008, Wu Xiaoqing, Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Environmental Protection, said at a press conference held by the State Council Information Office on May 23 that after the earthquake, 76% of the chemical enterprises in the disaster area ceased operations, and 41% of the key pollution sources under national or provincial control were affected by the quake. Alone in cities such as Chengdu, Deyang, Mianyang, and Guangyuan, there were 59 units involved in the production of hazardous waste. (Shanghai Securities News, May 24, 2008) A production halt following a disaster does have an impact on enterprises, but what is more crucial is the safety of the public. It can be said that past efforts to prevent and mitigate earthquakes failed to pay attention to the study of secondary disasters, and due consideration was not given to the severe hazards posed by such disasters in chemical manufacturing enterprises. After the 5·12 earthquake, **the relevant authorities recommended that chemical enterprises conduct risk assessments of secondary disasters within their own companies, and carry out single-factor risk analyses on all existing and newly constructed major sources of secondary disasters. The world’s largest chemical company has set up operations in the Three Gorges Reservoir area, and some experts say it is not subject to environmental impact assessments. However, it must be acknowledged that in recent years there have been frequent reports in the media about geological disasters occurring in the Three Gorges area: on April 18, 2008, Chongqing City reported through Hualong Net that the Three Gorges reservoir region has, due to geological factors, always been a place prone to geological disasters. Since the experimental water storage began, the rise in water levels has further triggered geological disasters such as bank landslides, causing damage to some houses, land areas, and specialized facilities in the reservoir area. According to statistics, since the experimental water storage began, \"93 geological disaster risks have emerged in 12 districts and counties within our reservoir area.\" According to a report in Time Weekly on January 8, 2009, by November 2, 2008, the water level in front of the Three Gorges Dam had risen to 172 meters above sea level. On November 3, a severe landslide threat occurred over a 1,000-meter stretch in Longjiang Village, Wuxia Town, Wushan County. On January 8, 2009, Southern Weekend reported that Fengjie, the ancient city of the Three Gorges, is still seeking new ways to survive. Over the past decade or so, Fengjie has relocated three times around the location of the new city. Within the 23 square kilometers of the new Fengjie county town, there are 54 landslides and over 300 high slopes; the total number of disaster sites surveyed in the entire county has exceeded 800. It is worth paying attention to how chemical giants entering such areas can prevent geological disasters. In the environmental impact assessment report for BASF’s MDI project in Chongqing, which has been approved in principle by the Ministry of Environmental Protection, it can be seen that the proposed project is in line with **industrial policies ； The exhaust gases, wastewater, and noise generated during normal production have little impact on the atmosphere, surface water, and acoustic environment ； The operation of the project will not cause any significant changes in the existing environmental quality ； In addition to the \"three wastes,\" the MDI project also needs to adopt measures such as noise suppression, sound insulation, and vibration damping to address the continuous noise generated by cooling towers, refrigerators, high-power pumps, etc., thereby preventing disturbance to the local community. However, how will such large chemical companies cope with earthquakes and geological disasters? Who is responsible for conducting such disaster assessments, and who is responsible for making them public? In 2007, the environmental impact assessment reports for Xiamen’s PX project and the A’shui Hydropower Station upstream of the Jinsha River attracted significant public attention. The participation of the public and environmental protection organizations highlighted China’s growing emphasis on public involvement in economic development. On December 12, 2007, the first public announcement of the environmental impact assessment for the Chongqing MDI project was made by the Ecological Chemical Engineering Design Institute. The period is from December 10, 2007, to January 10, 2008 ； The number of views shown online is 804. The second public announcement period for this project was from February 20, 2008, to March 4, 2008, with 1,693 views. The scarcity of such data, and the fact that it consists only of “readings” (rather than hearings or specialized written inquiries), is clearly insufficient to prove that public participation has been achieved. There are already excellent examples of public participation in environmental protection in our country. So, while the public is heatedly discussing the construction of the world’s largest chemical company in the reservoir area of the world’s largest hydroelectric power plant, I sincerely hope that hearings will be held as soon as possible ； It is also necessary to make public the assessments conducted by relevant departments and enterprises regarding how to prevent geological secondary disasters in chemical industry projects, so that the stakeholders of such large-scale enterprises have the opportunity to express their opinions. This will ultimately lead to scientific decision-making aimed at preventing problems before they occur, which is a matter of great benefit to both the country and its people. (Original title: BASF sets up operations in the Three Gorges – How to prevent secondary disasters) (Source: Beijing News) http://cimg2.163.com/cnews/img07/end_i.gif