<轉載自2018年8月13日 明報 社評>
今年改組成立的生態環境部公布海洋生態環境監測報告顯示，珠江口的水質被評為最低級別的「極差」，並且連續18年沒有好轉迹象。這是過去幾十年廣東省各級政府無視污染物任意排放到河流的不負責任行為的結果，原因有工業化必然的因素，也有管理體制不完善的結構性關係，而今國家意圖從源頭制止污染源，正好考驗機構改革是否能夠起到應有效果。
監測全國近岸海域水質的報告顯示，9個重要海灣中，山東的膠州灣和廣西的北部灣水質良好；遼東灣水質一般；渤海灣、黃河口和閩江口水質差；長江口、杭州灣和珠江口水質極差。從水質優劣的分佈看，經濟愈欠發達的地區，海洋近岸的水質較好，經濟愈發達的地區，水質愈差，印證了工業化是造成河流污染的主要成因。珠江口的水質驗出無機氮和活性磷酸鹽因子超標，更是城市生活廢水和工業廢料排放過量的佐證。
工業化與城鎮化共生，必然會產生大量廢物，問題是廢物的處理方法，過去在經濟發展是硬道理和盲目追求GDP的政府治理方針下，忽視對環境造成的影響，工廠任意排放廢物廢水到河流，政府毫無監管，更糟糕的是政府沒有投放資源去興建污水處理廠，生活污水沿河而下，造成的污染由河流下游的地方去承受，整條珠江的沿江地方政府都這樣做，結果是污染海洋，而人類食用這些被毒害的魚類，最後自食其果。
廣東省政府近年才開始注意水質污染情况，陸續投放資源建污水處理廠，直到去年，珠三角地區的大城市才實現生活污水全收集處理後才排放，但全省的形勢還沒有達標，農村的情况更不容樂觀，要到今年底才能達到八成的污水處理率。
工業污染源是更棘手的問題，過去珠三角地區紡織廠、造紙廠和電鍍廠氾濫，近年被驅趕到欠發達地區，但對於河流污染情况無補於事，只是將污染源頭從河流下游轉移到上游。環保部門不停公布水質差的報告，學術機構不斷研究並提出處理污染的對策建議，但政府仍然無動於中。
「運動式」治理易故態復萌 新部門應有權有責放眼長遠
習近平總書記在去年的元旦獻辭中宣布，全面推行「河長制」的號令，全國河流分段設立河長，各級政府各管一段，上下游互相監督，層層問責，並且成為考察政府治理成績的標準。廣東省的總河長是一把手李希書記，足見重視程度，經過督查巡查，發現問題並處分責任人，去年有廳級幹部21人，處級幹部83人被問責。
中國經常採用「運動式」的治理方式管治，由最高負責人號令天下，下級無不遵令推行，但「運動」一過，又再故態復萌，這種情况屢見不鮮，河長制是否如此，有待觀之。長效機制是從機構設置中解決結構性問題，今年初實施的機構改革，指導方針是從處理問題根源中設置機構，改組而成的生態環境部的原意，目標就是解決生態環境問題。
過去環境保護部被批評為「無牙老虎」，只有巡查並公布污染單位的職責，而沒有執法的權力。而今新成立的生態環境部，被賦予「整合分散的生態環境保護職責，統一行使生態和城鄉各類污染排放監管與行政執法職責」。寄望這個部門不但在制定政策方面有針對性地處理污染源頭問題，並且在監督實施方面做到有權有責，處罰問責幹部當然重要，更重要的是如何鼓勵各級政府投放資源到環境保護，成為常規的動作，而不是應付中央的短暫對策。
珠江口水質被發現長期「極差」，不但是對廣東省政府敲響警鐘，污染水質對整個地區的海洋生態造成影響，香港和澳門分別處於珠江口東西兩岸， 也會被殃及池魚。即將推行的粵港澳大灣區，合作原則的五點要求，其中一條是「生態優先，綠色發展。着眼於城市群的可持續發展，強化環境保護和生態修復，推動形成綠色低碳的生產生活方式和城市建設運營模式，有效提升城市群品質」。這個目標與原則，不應流於空話，而是要從制度上落實執行。
制定統一標準求協同效應 「灣長制」可作合作試點
過去廣東省與香港環保部門有過很多的合作項目，也有過共同調查水質等等行動，但都是止於公布結果和提出建議，沒有落實執行和監督的機制。而今廣東省在中央的指令下，要處理水質問題，香港也有「淨化海港計劃」，各自有一套做法和標準，如果得到預期中的成效，或許能夠對珠江口的水質改善各自作出貢獻。然而，粵港澳大灣區的推行，就應該有更高的要求，9+2的城市群，不但要各盡其責，還要有協同效應，制定一套高標準並共同遵守的標準是唯一可行的辦法，只有這樣，才能體現大灣區的合作精神。
沿襲河長制的做法，去年廣東省政府提出設立「灣長制」，將廣東近岸分成8個灣區，珠江口是其中之一，這個牽涉粵港澳三地的區域，誰來當「灣長」？是否可以輪流做莊，是一個值得探討的問題，也可以成為嘗試推行大灣區合作的一個試點。
Curbing river pollution: a test of institutional reform
THE Ministry of Ecology and Environment established earlier this year as
a result of the State Council reshuffle plan has released a monitoring report
on China's marine ecology and environment. The report gives a rating of
"very poor", the lowest of all ratings, to the water quality of the
Pearl River Estuary region, which has remained unchanged over the past 18
years. This is an outcome of the irresponsibility of governments of all ranks
in the Guangdong province, which for decades have ignored the unbridled
discharge of pollutants into rivers. While industrialisation is definitely a
factor, the problem is also structurally related to the deficient
administrative system. Now that the national government intends to stop
pollution at source, the effectiveness of the institutional reform will be put
to the test.
The monitoring report on the quality of the country's nearshore waters
compares nine major sea bays of the country. Water quality is rated
"good" in Jiaozhou Bay of Shandong and the Beibu Gulf of Guangxi;
"fair" in Liaodong Bay; "poor" in Bohai Bay, the Yellow
River Estuary and the Minjiang Estuary; and "very poor" in the
Yangtze River Estuary, Hangzhou Bay and the Pearl River Estuary. Pearl River
Estuary water samples have been found to contain excessive levels of inorganic
nitrogen and active phosphate factors, evidencing the excessive discharge of
urban domestic wastewater and industrial wastes into the river system.
In the past, under the governance policy of hardline persistence in
economic development and blind pursuit of GDP growth, the environmental impacts
of pollution were overlooked. Factories were allowed to discharge wastes and
wastewater recklessly into rivers with absolutely no regulation by the
government. Worse still, the authorities failed to invest resources in the
construction of sewage treatment plants. Domestic sewage washed down the river
resulted in pollution downstream, which was allowed by all municipal
governments along the Pearl River. As a result, the sea was polluted and people
ended up reaping what they had sown by eating the fish contaminated in the
process.
In recent years, the Guangdong provincial government has finally started
to notice the situation of water pollution and invest resources in the
construction of sewage plants one after another. Last year, major cities in the
Pearl River Delta region began to collect and treat all domestic wastewater
before discharge. However, speaking of the entire province, it is still not up
to standard. The situation in rural villages is far from optimistic, with the
ratio of sewage treatment expected to reach 80% only by the end of this year.
The source of industrial pollution is even harder to tackle. Garment
factories, paper mills and electroplating plants that once overwhelmed the
Pearl River Delta region have been expelled to less developed areas in recent
years. But that was merely relocating the source of pollution from downstream
areas to upstream areas, helping little in relation to river pollution. Even
though environmental protection departments have kept releasing reports on poor
water quality and academic institutions have continued to study and propose
measures for dealing with the pollution problem, the authorities have remained
apathetic.
The former Ministry of Environmental Protection was criticised as a
"toothless tiger" for having only the duty to conduct inspections and
name the institutions polluting the environment, but not the authority to
enforce the law. Now the newly formed Ministry of Ecology and Environment has
been entrusted with "the task of integrating the fragmented functions of
environmental protection and, in a unified way, the duties of monitoring the
ecology and the discharge of all pollutants in urban and rural areas and
conducting administrative law enforcement". It is hoped that the new
ministry will not only formulate policies focusing on the problem of pollution
sources, but also have the authority to monitor the implementation of the
policies alongside its responsibility for doing so. While it is no doubt
important to punish officials who should be held accountable, it is more important
to encourage governments of all ranks to make it a common practice to invest
resources in environmental protection instead of seeing it as a temporary
measure to deal with the central government.
制止河流污染 考驗機構改革成效
今年改組成立的生態環境部公布海洋生態環境監測報告顯示，珠江口的水質被評為最低級別的「極差」，並且連續18年沒有好轉迹象。這是過去幾十年廣東省各級政府無視污染物任意排放到河流的不負責任行為的結果，原因有工業化必然的因素，也有管理體制不完善的結構性關係，而今國家意圖從源頭制止污染源，正好考驗機構改革是否能夠起到應有效果。
監測全國近岸海域水質的報告顯示，9個重要海灣中，山東的膠州灣和廣西的北部灣水質良好；遼東灣水質一般；渤海灣、黃河口和閩江口水質差；長江口、杭州灣和珠江口水質極差。珠江口的水質驗出無機氮和活性磷酸鹽因子超標，更是城市生活廢水和工業廢料排放過量的佐證。
過去在經濟發展是硬道理和盲目追求GDP的政府治理方針下，忽視對環境造成的影響，工廠任意排放廢物廢水到河流，政府毫無監管，更糟糕的是政府沒有投放資源去興建污水處理廠，生活污水沿河而下，造成的污染由河流下游的地方去承受，整條珠江的沿江地方政府都這樣做，結果是污染海洋，而人類食用這些被毒害的魚類，最後自食其果。
廣東省政府近年才開始注意水質污染情况，陸續投放資源建污水處理廠，直到去年，珠三角地區的大城市才實現生活污水全收集處理後才排放，但全省的形勢還沒有達標，農村的情况更不容樂觀，要到今年底才能達到八成的污水處理率。
工業污染源是更棘手的問題，過去珠三角地區紡織廠、造紙廠和電鍍廠氾濫，近年被驅趕到欠發達地區，但對於河流污染情况無補於事，只是將污染源頭從河流下游轉移到上游。環保部門不停公布水質差的報告，學術機構不斷研究並提出處理污染的對策建議，但政府仍然無動於中。
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