Many people don't seem to believe in the Guangzhou municipal government's recent announcement that vegetables grown with the help of polluted water are safe for human consumption. Why do people distrust local governments? How can the governments win back public trust? Policymakers are battling with such questions, says an article of Nanfang Daily. Excerpts:

The Guangzhou bureau of agriculture conducted just one test before declaring in its latest report that vegetables grown on land irrigated with water from sewerage and with heavy metal content are safe for human consumption. But many Guangzhou residents still believe polluted water will contaminate vegetables. Many medical specialists, too, doubt the wisdom of the government announcement.

It is indeed doubtful whether vegetables grown with the help of polluted water are safe to eat even if they do not contain excessive levels heavy metals. And specialists question whether cooking would destroy all the harmful microorganisms, some of which could be resistant to even high temperatures. Did the government act responsibly when it conducted just one lab test before saying vegetables grown on land irrigated with water from sewerage were edible?

The past few years have seen more and more people doubting the veracity of official announcements. Given some officials' indifference to public health and other benefits, it is not surprising to see so many people not believing government statements.

All local governments seem to be going through a credibility crisis. And people's distrust in the government becomes more intense every time a new scandal comes to light. It's time authorities took steps to win public trust.

(China Daily August 26, 2009)