My hometown little dirty secret. Xingtai. Literature & Language Essay

My Hometown Secrets
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Introduction
When it comes to environmental issues, it is quite evident that every town or city has got its own small, well-kept secret. This is especially so, when it comes to most cities in China, my home country. Since the advent of industrialization, most of the towns have grown rapidly and transformed into cities. Population in the country has kept on rising, while factories have continued being set up in virtually every corner of the nation. This has been the reason for the rapid economic growth of the country over the past one to two decades, which shows no sign of leveling off any time soon. While a rapid and steady economic growth is the dream of any country, it comes with other issues as well. The biggest issues relate to the environment.
Xingtai
My hometown is the ancient city of Xingtai, in the southern part of Hebei province, China. It is a proud city of over 5 million people, with a rich heritage dating back over three millennia. In addition to the ancient ruins of the past empires, the city also has interesting cites such as the Gorges of Taihang as well as the White Cloud Cave. Mixed with these natural and ancient sites is a booming steel industry which has resulted in the city being tagged “the industrial steel city.” This is just one of the many industries that have opened shop in the area, including coal mining and plastic manufacturing plants. Therefore, behind the façade of natural features and ancient treasures, is a serious environmental concern emanating out of the routine operations of these factories (Zhou, 2017). The impacts of the industries that have set up shop in my hometown have catapulted it into the list of the most polluted cities not only in China, but also the world.
Xingtai experiences pollution of all kinds. It air, water and even soil, are extremely polluted. The water is greatly polluted by the untreated effluents from the industries. Most of these effluents are very toxic and not only do they pose a threat to people who use it, but also choke up marine life (Coonan, 2014). The solid wastes, especially from coal and steel factories are usually dumped on the ground, thereby posing a threat to the soil. Soil pollution occurs once the toxic wastes seep into the soil, thereby compromising the soil integrity when it comes to growing crops or any other form of farming. Plants don’t have elaborate systems to break down toxic compounds when absorbed. When these solid wastes are absorbed by the crops, they can easily be ingested by human beings, hence posing health risks to people as well.
There is also the pollution of underground water from steel plating plants, which often goes unnoticed by the authorities. The chemicals used by these factories are usually disposed to a certain reservoir, which is usually in direct contact with the earth. These chemicals therefore, seep into the ground, and into the underlying water table, thus polluting the underground water too. The air pollution is mainly from the coal mining factory, which keeps emitting extremely dangerous amounts of gases composed mainly of sulphides and carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
While on a recent visit, my uncle told me ...