Tap Water Woes

Oriental Outlook
April 24

Is the tap water safe to drink or not? This is a difficult question in China, though it has recently been put under the media spotlight after the incident of tap water contamination in Lanzhou, capital of northwest China's Gansu Province.

Currently, the contamination of water source locations is the biggest issue, said Liu Wenjun, a Chinese expert on drinking water safety. The environmental state of a water source decides the quality of tap water. After more than three decades of reform and opening up, the deterioration of China's environment has been as quick as its industrialization. Many water source locations have suffered as a result.

Compared to decades ago, water contaminants have changed greatly. The major contaminants in China are inorganic and organic matter. Of them, the organic contaminants are worth special notice. In the past few decades, human beings have created millions of organics. As a double-blade sword, these organics have brought both benefits and caused lasting contamination.

Faced with this new situation, upgraded treatment of tap water is needed. However, most water suppliers are still using the traditional water treatment technology, which is unable to remove the new soluble contaminants and ammonia nitrogen from the water.

The incident in Lanzhou is just an example of the failure of traditional water treatment technology. Benzene's density is higher than water's, so it sinks at the bottom. It can be removed by activated carbon, which is a new method. Traditional water treatment technology, however, can't do this. It is time for cities that have not upgraded their water treatment technology to take action.

Anxious Civil Servants

Outlook Weekly
April 14

Currently in China, a large number of civil servants are unhappy with their jobs. They complain that the work does not give them a sense of professional recognition and achievement. The heavy workload and few promotional opportunities gradually kill their morale and throw them into a state of anxiety.

This anxiety comes from three reasons: work pressure, low recognition from management and misunderstanding from citizens. In the municipal administration service center of Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province, more than 100 cases are handled per day, creating a huge workload for civil servants. However, the biggest problem stems from the constant complaints and criticism by citizens.

Many civil servants complain that their work performance is unrecognized. They have to do much extra work, and the heavy workload narrows their social circle to their workmates. But the fierce competition between workmates keeps them apart. Many civil servants say they feel lonely at work.

The misunderstanding by citizens also makes civil servants frustrated. A female civil servant from northeast China's Liaoning Province said most citizens thought civil servants received a high salary, work little and squander the government's budget. The deeds of a few corrupt officials have been extended to the civil servants. This has made a large number of ordinary civil servants feel uncomfortable. They hope people can accept them as ordinary citizens.

Reading Habits

People.com.cn
April 23

Recently, the Chinese Academy of Press and Publication released the 2013 national reading survey, which showed Chinese children read more than before outside class. According to the survey, the average number of books that children read in 2013 was 6.97, up by 1.48 compared to that in 2012.

Specifically, the group aged 14-17 read the most, on average 8.97 books in the year; the group aged 9-13 about 8.26 books, and the group aged 0-8 about 5.25 books, all more than adults. This is really good news for the country. Children's reading is the starting point of the whole nation's reading.

According to scientists, if a child fails to form a habit of reading before age 10, he will never do so. Actually, in recent years, many countries have attached great importance to helping children establish a reading habit. The UK has a program named Bookstart. It was the world's first program aimed to provide reading service for preschool children. Since it was launched in 1992, it has been devoted to helping children make reading a lifetime habit. So far, many countries, such as Japan, Australia, the United States, Italy and others have joined the program.

Compared to developed countries, China still has a long way to go, despite its big progress. Although the ways of reading are undergoing big changes, people's appetite for reading has not changed.