Yellow River turns red in NW China
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2006-10-23 16:18
A section of the Yellow River turned red and smelly on Sunday in Lanzhou,
capital of northwest China's Gansu Province, and the local environment watchdog
has launched an investigation.
Residents were alarmed to see a sewage
pipe pouring red water into the country's second longest river between 3:00 p.m.
and 6:00 p.m. Sunday. The discharge occurred near a park by Nanbinhe Road in
downtown Lanzhou. About a kilometer of the river was discolored.
The
city's environment protection bureau and the Yellow River water environment
monitoring center took samples of the river water for laboratory testing at 5:00
p.m.
Kang Mingke, an official with the city's environment protection
bureau, said test results will determine what the red discharge was and whether
it is detrimental to the river's ecology. He said the test results were not yet
available Monday morning.
Kang said the red water could be from central
heating systems, as there are no chemical plants located nearby.
Many
citizens suspect the same, adding that heating companies sometimes dye the water
in their pipe to prevent people from using it to cut their own water
bills.
Many boilers that provide central heating are being tested
for leaks as they will go into operation in mid November. (For more biz stories, please visit Industry Updates)
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