Tengger Desert herders of Inner Mongolia can't lead the investigation of pollution: you know _ | | industrial pollution Tengger Desert news

One day in August, a 60 years old volunteered to tell me, Tengger Desert has been industrial pollution thing, you should focus on. He said that once local old moist eyes in broken Chinese said to him: why would anybody spend money to protect the environment? why would someone for money destroying the environment? I don't love money, I love my steppe! I love my home.

The volunteers said, he doesn't expect reported results, but no sound is even worse.

Things like that irritate me again and again. At one point, I followed the 77 years old Liu shurun is a study in Inner Mongolia, a botanist and Prairie ecologist ecology. He saw was devastated by mine grasslands, cried, her body curled up into a ball.

In late August, time allowed, I am on the road to interview.

　　Pastoralists can't lead: well, you know

Before the interview, according to the insider, I provide a list of links--more herders have been jointly reported pollution, and to contact them one by one. But they apologized to me without exception: past the media to the point of discharge, is likely to be the local government after investigation. Pastoralists can't even say on the phone.

In March this year, after contaminated local groundwater in CCTV exposure, an environmental protection volunteers came to the Tengger Desert. Local government staff for taking him out of the circle, went to 6 companies in industrial parks. "Local contaminants are buried, is a look at the spot, there are enterprises in the production. Local explanation is that an inflammable substance, not production problems. "The volunteers in 2005 to the Tengger Desert," at that time was dominated by small shrubs in desert steppe, is beautiful, since 2007 after the industrial development environment than ever before. ”

Show me recent photographs of the volunteers, and mark out each shot on location at. He said no signal into the desert, take care.

Early on August 29, I set off by car from neighboring Zhongwei city in Ningxia, the destination is in the ALXA left banner amount in tenge, town.

Are leaving the boundaries of Zhongwei city in Ningxia, namely yingshuiqiao to yanditala, Ying yan, commonly known as line segments as you, I can smell a stench. Desert installing solar panels on either side of the highway construction workers, were wearing masks. They told me that these odors are caused by the chemical into the desert waste, do not wear masks would be made dizziness. They advised me at the top of a dune not far away from the roadside.

Go on top of the dunes, has indeed been enclosed with sand a few pitch-black water, an area larger than a football field size. Recent wastewater within 50 meters of the highway. Construction workers told me, go inside, and many more, is spoiled is less and less like the desert looks like.

Through the junction of Ningxia and Inner Mongolia, continued toward the Tengger e Rees Zhen. Into town you can smell a foul smell, and I randomly went into a roadside shop, ask the owner: where did this come from? the owner pointed to the distant metal cans lined with chemical industry Park said: "from the factory. ”

The owner said, OK during the day, heavier at night, secretly in the night because some factory production.

I asked a roadside car drivers, aware that the discharge point of the Tengger Desert, he said, everybody here knows, but can't take you to, and then he smiled saying, "well, you know."

　　Choking cough by strong odors

According to my understanding of the situation before, discharge specific spots along the highway after 5 kilometers north from the town, further from the highway to the East, and vertical distance 3 km deep into the desert.

The location is the town of Sunningdale, the man, who asked not to be named told me, you walk along the road, a gravel road, is accessed by a iron railings, is the direction of into a sewage tank.

However, he reminded me that, as a safeguard against the natives, exotic unidentified people close to the discharge point, consisting of chemical industry Park arrangement has several motorcycle patrols.

I bought a local herdsman generally wore a hat, and Sandy-coloured coat, dressed as local herdsmen. I bought a yellow bag, put the camera on the inside, covered with shirts and dry food.

I have it all planned, once they are found, I would say that they are looking for the lost sheep.

At 18 o'clock, I took the car, sewage pool deep in the side of the road leading to the desert road entrance to alight. In order to avoid staff or patrol officers met, I gave up direct from the highway in the past, choosing instead to detour from the desert came near the discharge point. First walked into the desert, I heard the sound of vehicles and motorcycles, seen an excavator and two motor-drive from deep in the desert.

Vehicle out from the iron bars, man riding a motorcycle down to lock their fence and then left. It is already 18:20.

For safety's sake, I still choose to from the desert in the past.

It was getting dark, and I had to race against time.

Feet of sand, every step than usual on the hard roads took more effort, sand dunes are difficult.

About 19 o'clock, I climb to the top of a dune, eyes wide open, a basin several times the size of a football field, is among several black pool, which is surrounded by stretches of sand dunes.

At this point, panting, I was a strong smell of choking cough.

　　Propaganda in the "Emerald" in the industrial park and the reality of sinkholes

In the basin, there is a row of brick houses and an excavator. I look to make sure no people and dogs, nor after surveillance cameras, began to retrieve the camera and taking pictures and video.

Two storage pool full of ink-like color, reflection of light, it exudes a misty, smelly can hardly get close to.

I was walking down the pipe direction, over the dunes to the other side of the valley floor, you can see exposed at the bottom of a pipeline. Along the pipe direction I continued past a sand dune after another, see more bare-bottom over the dunes of white and black piping. Lots of bottom sand color is dark black, kicked open the sand on the surface, filled with black mud-like concretion, exudes a foul odor. Along the pipe direction, chemical industry Park is far from bright lights.

I remember previously referred to a local website report, a group of industrial park is set in a desert "green gem". Throughout the article describes the Green, green grass, blue sky, roads and clean beauty.

If there is no immediate experience, I probably confused by illusion.

In fact, because of the time and conditions of the interview, I just moved out of the tip of the iceberg, far from that simple.

The significance of this event is not only to safeguard the survival of nomads, also aimed at protecting the unique geological conditions, ecological fragility of the Tengger Desert. Tenge only a ruin there will be no more. Contaminated areas, such as do not control, and will spread like a cancer.

Beijing Bureau Chief Chen Jie photo coverage of the desert war

(Original title: "notes" posing as a herdsman to investigate contamination of Tengger Desert)

(Edit: SN181)
12:59 on September 07, 2014
The Beijing News