Environmentally-unfriendly subway projects in urban China
- Source: The Global Times
- [21:15 May 30 2009]
- Comments
Subways are often considered environmentally-friendly – they are powered by electricity, causing neither air nor water pollution, and the electromagnetic radiation produced by the rails has a negligible effect on human health.
But as subways become increasingly popular across China, the public has taken notice of problems that come with them, mainly noise and vibration.
Subway noise is a common issue in the central districts of China’s major cities like Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. According to The Standard of Environmental Noise of Urban Area, a regulation published by State Environment Protection Administration in 2002, the standard of noise in residential, commercial and industrial mixed zones is 60 and 50 decibels during the day and night, respectively. However, environmental research shows that noise levels along certain sections of Shanghai’s subway line 10 are far higher.
Wind booths, used to exchange the air in the subway with aboveground air, often create significant noise. However, in order to make sure that above-ground automobile emissions don’t diminish the air quality in subways, the wind booths need to be situated at least 25 meters away from car lanes, which inevitably means they’ll be closer to residential areas where residents must deal with the noise the booths carry as well as the unpleasant subway air they release.
Vibration, one of seven internationally recognized environmental public nuisances, is another problem subways bring to those aboveground. At an old house alongside Fengyanglu in Shanghai, bowls and dishes in the cupboard begin to vibrate every few minutes, whenever a subway train passes by.
New high-rises may be immune to such vibration due to their firm foundations, however, the structure of older homes and buildings is quite sensitive. Schools, hospitals and cultural relics museums are especially affected by the problem.
Residents in one building on Shanghai’s Dong’anlu have found widening fissures in the wall. According to related analysis by experts from Tongji University, nearby underground subway construction is a chief contributor. Several residents there consider their residential environment “dangerous.”
The site selection of new subway stations has also sparked controversy, since most stations are supposed to be built in areas with a dense population.
Some of those whose homes or shops need to be demolished have asked for huge compensation, whereas others refuse to move. Many subway projects have been delayed for years.
In order to avoid building under old residential buildings that lack a firm foundation, subway lines are often built along major roads. However, pipelines also run under the roads, and are often only 10 meters away from the ground surface.
In 2008, a wastewater pipeline under Linpinglu in Shanghai was broken during subway construction, and dirty water poured into the subway tunnels. On Dong’anlu, one drain became useless after the line 4 subway was completed. A restaurant near the subway station had to use another drain, which has often been blocked ever since.
So many elements need to be taken into consideration when planning a subway project. A clerk from the Shenzhen Metro Company said that even though the plans are repeatedly discussed and reviewed, “It’s like landmines are everywhere under the ground, and you can’t step on any of them.”
Southern Weekly
