AMID THE HEAVY snowfall in the southern provinces, some of the bags of industrial salt the local road management agencies have stored by the roadsides ready for spreading to melt snow and ice have been stolen. Hebnews.cn comments:

Industrial salt is poisonous and might be life threatening if eaten. That's why great efforts have been made to track down those who took the salt.
In Changzhou in East China's Jiangsu province, the local police found that three elderly women had stolen it, with one of them saying no one was there watching it when she took the salt away.

The thefts should teach the local authorities a lesson. Industrial salt involves health risks, and there should be stricter management over the salt to prevent it from being stolen. For example, it is advisable to store the industrial salt in lockable boxes, so that people won't be able to take them away at will.

Moral bonds are not so reliable as legal ones and you always need a lock to prevent people from taking things away. Besides, it is irresponsible to leave something poisonous on the roadside without taking any anti-theft measures.
From another point of view, the local authorities should raise the awareness of ordinary residents about the risks of consuming industrial salt, especially those who live in relatively closed conditions in rural areas. The old women had taken the salt away, possibly for cooking purposes, it is necessary to prevent that from happening in the first place.

Of course, the old women who took the salt away acted immorally, but they do not deserve to be poisoned for their misdeeds. What is needed is to prevent similar things from happening again.