BEIHAI, April 12 (Xinhua) -- China's coastal areas are suffering from maritime pollution as scenic spots and local environments become increasingly threatened.
Two days of gales last week resulted in almost sixty tonnes of garbage ending up onshore at Silver Beach, dubbed China's No.1 beach, in the southern coastal city of Beihai in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
Alongside natural waste such as seashells, seaweed and dead crabs, rubbish dotted the site, turning Silver Beach into a land of garbage.
Plastic bags, beer bottles, shattered glass and bamboo sticks used for barbecues were seen piled up in the middle and eastern areas of the beach, thanks to southwestern monsoons.
But the 60 tonnes of rubbish is just part of a broader picture.
Last year alone, an estimated 1,800 tonnes of garbage was found on the beach, according to Yin Fengzhang, environment management director with the Management Office of Beihai Silver Beach Tourist Area.
Beihai, however, is the epitome of many Chinese coastal cities struggling with maritime pollution, said Chen Changrong, director of the Policy, Regulation and Planning Section of Beihai's Oceanic Administration Bureau, who boasts 25 years of experience on maritime issues.
He said that Beihai is located in the Beibu Gulf area, where large-scale industries are still in their starting phase, and the maritime pollution the city faces is not the worst among China's coastal cities.
The country's 2012 report on maritime environment quality shows that floating chunks of rubbish on supervised waters off the country's coastal cities averaged 17 pieces per kilometer in 2011, and the number more than doubled to 37 in 2012.
Meanwhile, the national average beach garbage density of coastal cities was 1,114 kg per square kilometer in 2011, and jumped to 2,494 kg per square kilometer last year.
GARBAGE FROM HUMAN SOCIETY
According to China's 2012 report on maritime environment quality, 87 percent of garbage floating on the surface of the sea was a result of human behavior, and the rate reaches 94 percent when it comes to beaches.
Experts note that an obvious source of the garbage is tourists, who often leave litter, such as plastic bags, bottles and snack-boxes at tourist destinations by the sea. On Silver Beach, for instance, tourists can be seen throwing napkins away, largely ignoring the garbage bins available.
A local trader at Silver Beach surnamed Su said that even during slack seasons, the beach is filled with rubbish from tourists.
Meanwhile, rain and rivers inevitably help carry garbage into oceans, contributing to the increasing elements of nitrogen and phosphorus in the waters. This results in the growing number of seaweed, which adds an extra burden to the management of tourist sites once it arrives onshore due to monsoons.
"In the past few years, Silver Beach turned into a big 'Green Beach' several times due to seaweed," said Yin Fengzhang.
Another source of pollution is garbage from local residents, hotels in coastal areas and ships operating on the sea waters, said Peng Zaiqing, director with Beihai's maritime management bureau.
CURBING POLLUTION
Maritime garbage poses potential threats to sailing, damages seaside views and casts a negative impact on the marine eco-system, said Peng.
"Maritime garbage is constantly on the move, and is therefore likely to be spread around the world, which is why there is an urgent need for it to be curbed and treated," he said.
Peng suggested that government bodies enhance public awareness of marine environment protection, calling on radio and television to promote environmentally-friendly behavior among the public.
"The State Oceanic Administration Bureau should publicize the maritime environment quality report on a regular basis so that the public realize the seriousness of marine pollution," he added.
Another piece of advice from Peng involves raising the awareness of residents living on ships, as some litter on a daily basis at harbors, which directly pollutes waters.
"For instance, having garbage bins along harbors and putting up posters to educate fishermen about the importance of protecting the marine environment can be quite efficient," he said.
The bureau director said that marine pollution treatment is a complicated and tough task, which will require joint work of various departments.
Peng suggested setting up a garbage-treating mechanism where various departments, cities or even provinces work together in supervising industries along inland rivers so that rubbish can be curbed at its source.
Xu Haiou, president of a volunteer organization for environmental protection in Beihai, said government bodies could work with organizations such as his and call on the public to clean up the garbage, which will help them understand the difficulties of the task coastal areas face.
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