Thousands protest against waste incinerator plans in Guangdong town
Fearing air and water pollution, thousands in Luoyang, Guangdong, march and clash with police
Several thousand people took to the streets in the town of Luoyang in Guangdong yesterday, some clashing with police, to protest against a proposed waste incinerator, participants and witnesses said.
The protest in the town in Boluo county was the latest demonstration of mainlanders' growing wariness about the environmental hazards of such projects - and of the fact they lack public forums to voice their concerns or to affect government decision-making.
"I am worried about the impact it may have on the water source," said a local resident who only gave his family name, Chen, for fear of possible government retaliation.
"Burning will definitely cause air pollution. We are concerned about the health of our children."
The demonstration came four months after a massive protest over a proposed waste incinerator in the eastern city of Hangzhou , in Zhejiang province, left at least 10 demonstrators and 29 police officers injured.
Populous and increasingly affluent cities on the mainland face the daunting task of properly disposing of huge amounts of waste generated by the growing middle class.