On June 12, 2013, the Ministry of Land and Resources said that the government of China is planning to conduct a nationwide soil pollution survey. During the survey, soil samples will be taken at various depths in order to find natural condition of the soil, as well as the impact that the human activity has on it.
Samples will be collected from both deep, as well as shallow depths. This will also reveal how the chemical elements have been affecting the soil. So far, the ministry did not reveal a specific date of the release of the survey results. The ministry added that earlier investigations have indicated that some regions are extremely polluted, especially in vicinity of the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze river.
The ministry has also said that, while comparing the investigation results to the survey ones from 1994 and 1995, they indicate that the soil pollution is spreading to China’s more densely populated eastern areas. Moreover, a recent food safety scandal which involved rice tainted by cadmum has increased concerns regarding soil pollution becoming worse. The authorities have been asked by the public to issue oil pollution data, along with the details of measures taken in order to solve the problem.
