After violent protests at the weekend, officials in the eastern city of Hangzhou have promised to suspend construction of a large waste incinerator.
In a statement on its website, the government of Hangzhou’s Yuhang District said all work on the incinerator had stopped, and it would invite the public to participate in a decision whether to press ahead with the project.
“We will invite the local people to participate, fully listen to and seek everyone’s opinions, and guarantee people’s right to know what is happening and right to participate,” the government said.
“The construction of the incinerator will stop if we do not have the support of the population,” it added.
The government asked the local people to end their protests and “maintain normal social public order and jointly maintain social stability.”
It said the protests by “several hundred people” had affected normal life, though it recognized that this was a reflection of people’s concern.
On Saturday, protesters blocked a section of the Hangzhou-Anhui highway, disrupting traffic and clashing with police.
Police detained several protesters alleged to have injured officers or damaged police cars.
At least 10 protesters and 29 officers were injured during the protest in the district’s Zhongtai Township, where the plant is due to be built.
Two people, a protester and a police officer, were said to be seriously injured but neither is critical.
Two police cars were set on fire and more than 30 other vehicles overturned or damaged, officials said. About 700 police officers had been sent to the scene.
The highway linking Hangzhou and Huizhou in neighboring Anhui Province was closed for around 90 minutes.
At a press conference yesterday, government officials denied online rumors of fatalities.
The Hangzhou government published the site of the planned incinerator in April as a major project to ease its growing garbage disposal problem.
Residents near the planned site were concerned about increased pollution and the effect on their health and there have been several protests since.
The district government understands the public’s concerns, officials said yesterday, but it faces a dilemma as the existing four incinerators cannot cope with the amount of garbage currently produced.
Landfill sites are due to be filled to capacity in less than six years and the new incinerator was deemed the most feasible and effective means of easing the problem.
The project was still in its preliminary stages, officials said, and experts on urban construction, planning and environmental protection are to hold dialogues with citizen representatives.
Experts on waste incineration and processing would also be available to answer questions on the public’s concerns, officials said.
The planned location of the new incinerator used to be a mine surrounded by hills and it is expected to process garbage from residents in the western part of Hangzhou.
The government said the location was chosen after due consideration of the geographical environment, urban planning, nearby traffic conditions and its potential influence on the lives of nearby residents.
