Recently, a post in Tencent news forum, named “5,000 tons of highly toxic chromium residues were discarded into the reservoir, the source of the Pearl River is in danger” has caused concerned by many users.
The post said, 5,000 tons of chromium residues were poured into the reservoir, resulting in hexavalent chromium in water of the reservoir exceeded 2,000 times. The post quoted an article of Yunnan local media on August 12, pointed out that Chachong Reservoir, in Qujing of Yunnan, was deadly attacked because of illegal chemical waste released. After a series of precipitation and dilution operations, deadly “poison water” was directly discharged into the Nanpan River which is the source of the Pearl River.
Qujing government didn’t deny the chromium pollution, and made a positive response on the Weibo on August 12. The next day, Qujiang government released a notice on the pollution.
According to the notice, the local government received a report that some goats were poisoned from drinking water. Then the investigation department found the toxic industrial chromium residues. But the chromium resides weren’t directly dumped into the reservoir and Nanpan River after investigation.
It is reported that the relevant people were already under arrest.
According to survey, chromium residues have been cleared.
Yang Xianshu, the chief of Environmental Protection Administration of Qujing, said that most of the dumping sites are too far away from the water source. And now, there haven’t been casualties of chromium pollution to be found. So far, 75 goats, a horse and a cow died because of drinking high-chromium toxic water.
According to the survey of Qujing government, relevant department timely built a dam in order to prevent the contaminated water in Chachong from be washing into other places. Due to professional reduction and detoxification treatments, the polluted water was discharged after meeting safety standards.
Qujing environmental monitoring stations provided reports nearly two months shows that the water in Nanpan River didn’t detect hexavalent chromium. Yunnan Environmental Protection Agency released that they also didn’t detect hexavalant chromium in Nanpan River in Yunnan.
It is understood that hexavalent chromium is very toxic inhalation, more likely to be caused inherited genetic defects, cancer and have a lasting danger to the environment.
It is reported that the experts of Ministry of Water Resource arrived in Qujing on August 14, and will do further investigation on the chromium pollution incident.
Source: Xinhua
Translated and edited by Ma Xin
Ma Xin is an editor of M4.cn and can be reached at maxin@m4.com.cn