https://thewaternetwork.com/article-FfV/party-has-led-people-to-p...

https://thewaternetwork.com/article-FfV/party-has-led-people-to-prosperity-yyHbMn9DwEv4Y8934liNxA

An essay by Prof Biswas on China. Not trying to espouse the merits of any political system over another. But I am reproducing the portions of the essay that explains how China has managed its environment.

Environmental protection measure truly unique On the environmental front, among other things, China has instituted a “river chief system” where senior officials, given charge of a certain stretch of a water body, have to ensure no toxic elements or untreated industrial wastewater flows into the river or lake under their jurisdiction and the water quality remains above the safety level. The names of the river chiefs and their telephone numbers are provided on prominent billboards so that local residents can call them directly to report any pollution.

After the pilot river-chief system proved effective in cleaning the highly polluted Lake Taihu, the central government extended the program across the country. Now China has more than 1.2 million river chiefs and workers to protect the rivers and other water bodies.

Eight surveys conducted by the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation of Harvard University from 2003 to 2016 found high levels of public satisfaction with the Chinese government. And the Asian Barometer Survey of 14 Asian countries has consistently found that people in China, Singapore and Vietnam have the highest levels of trust in their government institutions.