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Wednesday, November 23, 2005 - ore 15:00
Toxic leak threat to Chinese city
(categoria: " Vita Quotidiana ")
Chinese authorities have revealed that major pollution of a river has forced the suspension of water supplies to Harbin, a northern city of 3.4m people. "Benzene levels were 108 times above national safety levels," said China’s Environment Protection Administration. The contamination after an accident at a chemical plant is expected to pass through Harbin on the Songhua river for the next two days, officials said.
Some schools and businesses have closed and flights out of Harbin are sold out. "Everyone wants to leave Harbin and it is very difficult to buy tickets," a factory manager told Reuters. Benzene is a highly poisonous toxin that is also carcinogenic. Fifteen hospitals have been placed on stand-by to cope with possible poisoning victims.
HARBIN
Capital of Heilongjiang province
Strong Russian influence
Hosts annual ice festival
China’s ice capital
Harbin residents stay calm
Officials are also on alert in Russian towns further down the river.
More than 16,000 tons of drinking water is being brought into Harbin by road, the Chinese state news agency Xinhua said - though this is less than Harbin’s residents habitually use in a day.
The government initially said the stoppage would last four days, but a water company official has told the BBC there is no set timetable for the resumption of supplies.
BBC Beijing correspondent Louisa Lim says residents of Harbin are mistrustful of government statements, having originally been told the stoppage was for routine maintenance.
Hoarding supplies
The initial announcement of water stoppages led to panic buying of water and food, exhausting supermarket supplies and sending prices soaring.
BENZENE
Colourless, highly flammable liquid distilled from petroleum
Used as a cleaning agent, solvent, in dyes and paints
Lethal to humans exposed to it in high levels
Chronic exposure leads to progressive degeneration of bone marrow and leukaemia
Dangers of benzene
"The city was full of ridiculously large queues. People were buying water in massive quantities," English teacher Craig Hutchinson told the BBC News website.
Other residents told the BBC they felt more inconvenienced than worried.
"I can say that we feel safe and fine. Even though people... may not be able to shower, at least they can drink and cook with good [bottled] water," said hostel manager Yang Yan.
The order to cut off the water comes after a 13 November explosion at a petrochemical plant in Jilin city, about 380km (230 miles) up the Songhua river from Harbin.
Local media showed pictures of dead fish in the Songhua River
Five people were reported to have been killed in the blast, and more than 60 injured.
The explosion forced the temporary evacuation of some 10,000 residents, but people have since been allowed to return home.
The Beijing News showed pictures of dead fish washed up on the banks of the Songhua river near Jilin city, but the authorities said there was no sign that chemicals in the river had contaminated the water supply.
The high levels of benzene were found upstream of Harbin, but the contaminated river water was expected to reach the city on Wednesday evening and take two days to pass through.
Officials insisted enough water would be brought in to meet the needs of residents.
Environmental officials in Russia said they were also monitoring the Amur river, which is fed by the Songhua and is the main water source for the city of Khabarovsk.
Harbin is in China’s north-east Heilongjiang province, and is one of the country’s coldest cities, with overnight temperatures this week falling to -12C.
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