The two recent incidents that had been covered up in Shanxi province, one concerning water contamination and the other an explosion in a tunnel, should remind policymakers of the urgency to rethink the country's accident reporting mechanism.

An accident in a coal chemical plant led to chemicals leaking into the river in Changzhi, Shanxi province, which necessitated cutting off the water supply downstream, including some areas in neighboring Henan and Hebei provinces.

The leak was discovered on Dec 31, but it was only reported to the provincial government five days later.