Information-poor environments: Asian tigers - Environmental Reform in the Information Age - page 245

environmental data between the EMC and SEPA, on the one hand,
and other ministries (such as those on water, on forestry, on energy),
on the other. Environmental data are also treated as a commodity, quite
similar as in Vietnam.
If we compare, for instance, environmental monitoring in Guang-
zhou, 11 a rich metropolitan city of seven million inhabitants in south-
east China, with that of HoChiMinh City, similarities and distinc-
tions can be noted. Irregular water quality monitoring in Guangzhou
started in the 1970s, but more systematic monitoring started from the
mid-1980s onwards. At the moment, surface water quality monitoring
takes place six times a year on fifteen points regarding twenty param-
eters, quite comparable to HCMC water quality monitoring. Moni-
toring of emissions at industrial sources is, however, quite distinct. In
2002, emission data of twelve hundred industries were collected in
Guangzhou, 12 as well as discharges from domestic waste water. Mon-
itoring is related to the control and enforcement of discharge permits,
which were first implemented in Guangzhou in the late 1980s, as well
as to collecting pollution charges (which can be reinvested in envi-
ronmental technologies of the company up to 80 percent). 13 Environ-
mental quality data, the annual environmental quality report, as well
as the examination results of the Urban Environment Comprehensive

11

This example draws on research carried out by Jinyang Zhang (2005) at the
Environmental Policy department at Wageningen University, the Netherlands.

12

This included parameters such as ammonia, COD, heavy metals, oil products,
cyanide and some POPs. Nationally, over the years 1996-2002 only 55 to
60 percent of the companies included in the National Statistical Bureau are
included in the environmental statistics and monitoring. These companies
under environmental statistics and monitoring represent also around
60 percent of the total Industrial Output Value of China (Shi and Zhang,
2006 ). Emission monitoring is not done systematically by governmental
agencies but follows the legal requirement of companies to report their
discharges. The EMC does not collect these data systematically (interview
deputy director EMC, November 2005).

13

In 2002, around RMB670 million was collected in Guangdong province from
pollution charges. One-third came from Guangzhou and of that around half
was from water pollution charges. Although 80 percent of these charges have
to be invested in environmental projects and improvements in the companies,
20 percent goes to the budgets of the provincial and local Environmental
Protection Bureaus. By 2005, the allocation of money from environmental
charges was changing countrywide, first in the richest provinces. See, for more
information on how that worked out in Guangdong province and its counties,
Lo and Tang ( 2006 ).