Popular - China detains seven over river pollution scandal

Jan 31, 2012

China has detained seven company executives after suspected industrial waste discharges polluted a river with toxic cadmium, threatening drinking supplies for millions, state media said Tuesday.

 

The discharges have contaminated a 100-kilometre (60-mile) stretch of the Longjiang River in the southern region of Guangxi, sparking panic buying of bottled water in nearby cities, the official China Daily reported.

 

One company called Jinhe Mining Co. has been blamed for dumping cadmium -- a carcinogen which can seriously damage the kidneys, bones and respiratory system -- into the river, in a spill that was discovered on January 15.

 

But the government has decided to widen the crackdown to go after other polluters, inspecting more than a dozen factories on the river and stopping production at seven plants.

 

Feng Zhennian, a local environment official, told reporters that seven executives from companies deemed responsible for polluting the river had been taken into custody, the state-run Xinhua news agency said late Monday.

 

He said they were all chemical plants executives who worked in Guangxi but refused to name them, the report said.

 

The initial spill happened in Hechi city but was now flowing downstream, endangering drinking water for 1.5 million people in Liujiang city. It was also approaching Liuzhou city, with a population of 3.7 million, reports said.

 

"It is a critical time right now, as downstream drinking water safety is in jeopardy," Hechi mayor He Xinxing was quoted by Xinhua as saying.

 

A spokesman for Hechi city government declined to comment when contacted by AFP, and regional officials could not immediately be reached.

 

Authorities have mobilised thousands of soldiers to dump chemical neutralisers into the river to dilute the cadmium, but levels of the chemical were still more than 25 times higher than the official limit Monday in some parts.

 

In its latest update on Tuesday, Liuzhou city government said cadmium levels were 1.6 times higher than the government standard.

 

Many waterways in China have become heavily contaminated with toxic waste from factories and farms, in pollution blamed on three decades of rapid economic growth and lax enforcement of environmental protection laws.

 

Activists say officials often turn a blind eye to industrial pollution or even collude with companies to promote local economic development.

 

- AFP/cc

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