The pollution of the Harbin stretch of Songhua River in
northeast China by nitrobenzene and benzene is below the set
national standard, according to local government sources.
A team of experts have said that most of the pollutants which
went into the river had either volatilized or degraded and very
little remained in ice and the river bed itself. When treated the
water was safe, said a circular.?
Major pollution affected the Songhua River in November last year
when around 100 tons of pollutants containing potentially hazardous
pollutants entered the water after an explosion at the plant in
Jilin Province.
The incident forced cities along the river, including Harbin,
capital of
Heilongjiang Province with a population of more than three
million to suspend water supplies temporarily.
Harbin officials have said the city’s tap water is safe to
drink.
"We must learn lessons from the pollution in Songhua River,”
said Du Yuxin, Harbin Party secretary. “We’ll fully assess the
environmental damage and make every effort to prevent such
accidents from happening again.” ?
(Xinhua News Agency April 17, 2006)