Recently, netizens have discovered that a natural cave in the famous scenic area of Zhangjiajie in Hunan Province has been turned into a garbage dump, with household waste piled up to a height of 7 stories, including mineral water bottles from 10 years ago, sparking concerns.
According to a video shared by a netizen, many caves in Cili County, Zhangjiajie, Hunan, have been used as toilets and garbage dumps. Some people, in order to avoid ecological regulations and reduce pollution control costs, have directly turned precious caves and underground water systems into sewage pipes. “I don’t know if the local ecological authorities are incompetent or corrupt, to have committed such a big crime. Turning the stunning caves into garbage dumps.”
In the video, garbage is piled up like mountains inside the cave. The person filming mentioned that it was “as high as seven to eight stories,” a shocking sight.
Local reports show that the cave is located in Yangjiapo Village, Changyupu Town, Tongjinpu Township, Cili County, Zhangjiajie City, and is a natural karst landform cave that vertically reaches a depth of 150 meters.
According to a report by Xinjingbao, relevant departments have already intervened and are in the process of cleaning up. The Cili County Media Center announced in a video on June 1st that they had removed 2.7 tons of garbage from the Yangjiapo cave over 7 days.
The Cili County Committee Publicity Department informed Red Star News that they found mineral water bottles with a production date of 2015 in the garbage.
The Zhangjiajie City Ecological Environment Bureau stated that the pollutants in the cave mainly consist of household waste and animal manure, and a preliminary investigation shows that some local farming households are suspected of illegal discharge. Currently, the Cili Branch of the Zhangjiajie City Ecological Environment Bureau has initiated investigations against 3 farming households in Changyupu Village suspected of illegal discharge.
However, according to a villager from Changyupu Village interviewed by Xinjingbao, most of the garbage polluting the cave accumulated over several years. The local community began to enhance environmental awareness a few years ago, constructing septic tanks for pig farming households and arranging for garbage trucks to regularly collect household waste.
The pollution incident has sparked heated discussions online. Many netizens question, “I am puzzled by the fact that a nationally and globally renowned tourist attraction is filled with 10-year-old garbage without anyone knowing?” “This is a clear case of dereliction of duty! Those responsible for environmental destruction must be held accountable promptly!”
Others question, “What do these farming households raise? Do they need to drink mineral water, wear clothes, and produce various plastic bags?” “Farming households are likely scapegoats. How can there be so much plastic waste at these farms?” “Without public supervision, the environment will continue to deteriorate in a vicious cycle.”
Unfortunately, incidents of caves being polluted and destroyed are not isolated cases.
In 2021, a cave in Guizhou became a popular tourist spot and was left unmanaged, resulting in piles of garbage on-site. Furthermore, there have been previous reports in the media of outdoor wild caves facing destruction, such as theft and vandalism, including instances of stalactites being broken in wild caves around Beijing.