City of 3.8 mln battles thirst as river pollution confirmed
www.chinaview.cn 2005-11-23 22:54:54
BEIJING, Nov. 23 (Xinhuanet) -- After two days of rumors and fears about water cutoff, residents in a northeast China's Harbin city got the official confirmation Wednesday that their upriver water source was badly contaminated by a toxic chemical leak.
China's State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA) said here Wednesday afternoon that the Songhua River suffered a major water pollution incident, which led to the four-day water supply system shutdown as of the wee hours Wednesday in Harbin, a downstream city of over 3.8 million people.
The level of toxic density in the water is declining after several days of emergency treatment measures and sedimentation, a SEPA spokesperson said in the press release, citing water surveillance figures.
Benzene-like organic pollutants, harmful to human health, had flown into the river after the Nov. 13 blast in a petrochemical plant in Jilin Province where the river originates, according to the official.
Statistics show that the density of benzene and nitrobenzene substances in the river's Jilin section have dropped within the state safety level and the water with little amount of toxic components will pass through Harbin on Friday morning based on its current speed.
Local citizens became calming down Wednesday after their dashing purchase of various water products in every available food shops across the city since Monday, when the municipal government issued its first statement of water stoppage, and are preparing for their first-ever experience without normal water supply.
Unexpectedly, the city temporarily resumed tap water supply on midday Wednesday to give people more time to increase their water storage, after getting assured that the river's Harbin section has not been polluted and the chemical pollutants will arrive on Thursday morning.
The complete cut-off of water supply is pendent till the government makes an order.
Harbin citizens have collected over 300,000 tons of water by Tuesday, which is expected to hold on of three days based on their 18,600 tons of daily consumption, according to Liu Yuzhu, a senior official with the municipal water supply and drainage corporation.
Harbin, capital of Heilongjiang Province, is located at the middle reaches of the 1,897-km-long Songhua River, which supplies most water to the populous city.
SEPA experts have been working with local experts and officialson pollution-control campaign and the two provincial governments have launched emergency schemes for the vital environment incidents to ensure people's safety and the maintenance of normal life.
Jilin had quickly blocked entry of the pollutants into the river and discharged massive volume of water from a reservoir to dilute pollutants, while Harbin have added some active carbon powders, and is expected to get 1,400 tons more, to purify the water.
While the finance department of the Heilongjiang provincial government has allocated 10 million yuan (approximately 1.23 million US dollars) specially for handling the pollution incident.
Quality of the river water is under round-the-clock observationby a number of monitoring stations, according to the provincial government.
Harbin is busy drilling 100 new wells to tap out 80,000 tons ofunderground water everyday, which will add up to the daily output of 320,000 tons from the existing 918 wells, said Zhang Dingbang, deputy secretary of the municipal government, at a press conference on Wednesday afternoon, the first since the incident.
Several thousand tons of purified water from the neighboring regions and enterprise donations are expected to reach the city soon, further ensuring people's demand.
Bathhouses and car-wash facilities across the city have been ordered to stop operations and the city's administration of industry and commerce, price bureau and police to strengthen surveillance over the market and maintain social order.
Measures to ensure the operation of warming supply system, hospitals, universities and other key water-consuming units have been imposed in the city, famous for its ice-snow sightseeing in this winter season.
Primary and middle school students in the urban areas of Harbinhad a lesson on safety on Wednesday morning before they were dismissed. The suspension of class will last till Nov. 30 for fear that catering and sanitation can not be secured.
"It is really inconvenient without water," said Gao Yuan, a local civil servant.
"The government is trying its best to stabilize social order and people's life. We believe that the trouble will pass soon and we will survive the big challenge," said Gao.
Both the SEPA and the local governments have pledged to keep the media informed of the latest developments.
The blast, responsible for the river pollution, took place at noon in a workshop of the No. 101 Chemical Plant of Jilin Petrochemical Company based in Jilin City, leaving five dead, one missing and more than 60 others injured. The plant is only a few hundred meters away from the river
BEIJING, Nov. 23 (Xinhuanet) -- After two days of rumors and fears about water cutoff, residents in a northeast China's Harbin city got the official confirmation Wednesday that their upriver water source was badly contaminated by a toxic chemical leak.
China's State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA) said here Wednesday afternoon that the Songhua River suffered a major water pollution incident, which led to the four-day water supply system shutdown as of the wee hours Wednesday in Harbin, a downstream city of over 3.8 million people.
The level of toxic density in the water is declining after several days of emergency treatment measures and sedimentation, a SEPA spokesperson said in the press release, citing water surveillance figures.
Benzene-like organic pollutants, harmful to human health, had flown into the river after the Nov. 13 blast in a petrochemical plant in Jilin Province where the river originates, according to the official.
Statistics show that the density of benzene and nitrobenzene substances in the river's Jilin section have dropped within the state safety level and the water with little amount of toxic components will pass through Harbin on Friday morning based on its current speed.
Local citizens became calming down Wednesday after their dashing purchase of various water products in every available food shops across the city since Monday, when the municipal government issued its first statement of water stoppage, and are preparing for their first-ever experience without normal water supply.
Unexpectedly, the city temporarily resumed tap water supply on midday Wednesday to give people more time to increase their water storage, after getting assured that the river's Harbin section has not been polluted and the chemical pollutants will arrive on Thursday morning.
The complete cut-off of water supply is pendent till the government makes an order.
Harbin citizens have collected over 300,000 tons of water by Tuesday, which is expected to hold on of three days based on their 18,600 tons of daily consumption, according to Liu Yuzhu, a senior official with the municipal water supply and drainage corporation.
Harbin, capital of Heilongjiang Province, is located at the middle reaches of the 1,897-km-long Songhua River, which supplies most water to the populous city.
SEPA experts have been working with local experts and officialson pollution-control campaign and the two provincial governments have launched emergency schemes for the vital environment incidents to ensure people's safety and the maintenance of normal life.
Jilin had quickly blocked entry of the pollutants into the river and discharged massive volume of water from a reservoir to dilute pollutants, while Harbin have added some active carbon powders, and is expected to get 1,400 tons more, to purify the water.
While the finance department of the Heilongjiang provincial government has allocated 10 million yuan (approximately 1.23 million US dollars) specially for handling the pollution incident.
Quality of the river water is under round-the-clock observationby a number of monitoring stations, according to the provincial government.
Harbin is busy drilling 100 new wells to tap out 80,000 tons ofunderground water everyday, which will add up to the daily output of 320,000 tons from the existing 918 wells, said Zhang Dingbang, deputy secretary of the municipal government, at a press conference on Wednesday afternoon, the first since the incident.
Several thousand tons of purified water from the neighboring regions and enterprise donations are expected to reach the city soon, further ensuring people's demand.
Bathhouses and car-wash facilities across the city have been ordered to stop operations and the city's administration of industry and commerce, price bureau and police to strengthen surveillance over the market and maintain social order.
Measures to ensure the operation of warming supply system, hospitals, universities and other key water-consuming units have been imposed in the city, famous for its ice-snow sightseeing in this winter season.
Primary and middle school students in the urban areas of Harbinhad a lesson on safety on Wednesday morning before they were dismissed. The suspension of class will last till Nov. 30 for fear that catering and sanitation can not be secured.
"It is really inconvenient without water," said Gao Yuan, a local civil servant.
"The government is trying its best to stabilize social order and people's life. We believe that the trouble will pass soon and we will survive the big challenge," said Gao.
Both the SEPA and the local governments have pledged to keep the media informed of the latest developments.
The blast, responsible for the river pollution, took place at noon in a workshop of the No. 101 Chemical Plant of Jilin Petrochemical Company based in Jilin City, leaving five dead, one missing and more than 60 others injured. The plant is only a few hundred meters away from the river
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