Groping for Stones to Cross the River: Early Local Lessons from Three Effluent Pollution Cases in Hubei in the 1960s–1980s

Abstract:This article uses local official archives of three effluent pollution cases in Hubei in the 1960s–1980s to examine early regulatory failures of industrial waste control. With many unpublished records of official responses, these effluent cases received first exposure in semi-public discourses, while public voices in Hubei protested against the pollution which arose because of the conflicting interests of industrial sectors. In defusing public pressures from pollution, local agencies continually interacted with intricate bureaucratic channels. Experiments with policy enforcement, still prevalent today, had created poor regulatory effects in containing illegal emission incidents initially and in regularising pollution penalties subsequently.