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River thaw will not release more pollutants: Experts
(AP)
Updated: 2006-03-11 16:54
BEIJING (AP) _ Experts from China and Russia have concluded that the spring
thaw of the frozen Songhua River will not release more pollutants from a toxic
spill in November, Beijing's top environmental official said Saturday.
Polluted water in
Songhua River reaches Harbin, the capital of northeastern Heilongjiang
province November 24, 2005. [Reuters] |
"Last night I received a piece of most exciting news from the Russian side,
that they had reached the same conclusion as ours: that there will be no second
pollution of the Songhua River this spring," Zhou Shengxian, director of the
State Environmental Protection Administration, said during a news conference
during the annual session of China's parliament.
The November 13 chemical spill forced the northeastern city of Harbin, a
major industrial center, to shut down running water to 3.8 million people for
five days and strained relations with Russia, where the chemical flowed through
the Far East city of Khabarovsk.
The chemicals released by the accident included benzene, nitrobenzene and
aniline, a poisonous liquid used to make dyes, resins, rubber additives and
agricultural products. All are thought to be potentially cancer-causing.
Despite initial alarms over the spill, which was caused by a chemical plant
explosion, farm products from the region were found to be safe, Zhou said.
He said the government has completed a long term plan for management of the
river that puts top priority on prevention and treatment of pollutants, Zhou
said.
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