News published last week revealed that up to one-fifth of China’s soil may be contaminated.  The official report written by the Environmental Protection Ministry, once classified as a state secret, reported that 19.4% of China’s arable land may contaminated with pollutants like cadmium, nickel and arsenic.

But hey, no biggie. Two days later after this news was published on April 20, a scientific solution to this environmental disaster with far reaching consequences has been revealed, and may serve to diffuse the worries of an anxious public.

Researchers at the Guangdong provincial geological experimental test center have discovered a compound in a type of clay mineral that can reduce the toxicity and activity of heavy metals in arable soil, reports Live Trading News. Called “Mont-SH6″, the discovery is hailed by the researchers as able to restore a mu (1/15 of a hectare) of farmland at a cost of only several hundred yuan.

Said Zhao Qiuxiang, head of the research team at the Guangdong provincial geological experimental test center, “The technology is suitable for large-scale restoration of farmland because it is relatively cheap and effective.”

While some may see this as a win-win situation in which farmlands can continue to grow crops while illegal mines and polluting factories can continue to add to China’s economic boom, there are those who prefer to poo-poo upon this fertile development instead.

Some critics are alarmed at the unknown scope of this ecological problem. Said Chen Ruishan, a geologist at Hohai University in Nanjing, “The transparency is not enough… We need to know about the spatial distribution” of the soil pollution in order to come up with a strategy to best deal with it. However, precise details of such a comprehensive map have not yet been released to the public.

Even the researchers who came up with the discovery have expressed concern for other issues that can not be fixed with this scientific discovery.

Solving the problem of soil pollution will require funding that polluters are reluctant to pay. Chief engineer of Guangdong provincial geological experimental test center Liu Wenhua said, “The price of the soil rehabilitation should not be paid by farmers, because they are victims of the pollution… The government should aid public welfare by working to combat soil pollution.”

As well, Liu admitted that a short-term solution is not in the works. “At least two years are needed for large field experiments before it enters the market,” said Liu.

But this proposed scientific solution isn’t just hampered by the practical concerns of time and money, but also a political will behind it. Gao Shengda, secretary of the China Environmental Remediation Association, revealed that there are no laws or regulations on soil pollution in China at the present time. Gao said, “Soil pollution in China is quite serious, but there’s no remediation system and much polluted farmland goes untreated… There is no single standard for remediation of industrial and mining sites, or for urban land.”

The announcement of this scientific breakthrough in Guangdong comes at the right time, but it looks like we need further announcements for a real breakthrough of any lasting change.

Photo: China Dialogue