Russia Environment Officials Fear Water Pollution Following China Accident

FROTH AND BUBBLE

The Songhua Jiang river (called Sungari in Russia) is the main source of drinking water for the Russian city of Khabarovsk (pictured), home to 600,000 residents, just across the Chinese border.

Vladivostok, Russia (AFP) Nov 23, 2005
Russian environment and emergencies ministry officials Wednesday started monitoring water content in the Amur river on the border between the Russian far east and China, fearing contamination after toxic substances were discovered in a Chinese tributary of the Amur, local Russian officials said.

This step was taken following the announcement Monday that water supply had been discontinued in the 9 million strong Chinese city of Harbin near the border after toxic substances, probably benzol, were found in the Songhua Jiang river, officials said.

This followed a blast at the Jilin Petroleum and Chemical Company petrochemical plant, located in the Harbin region. The Songhua Jiang river (called Sungari in Russia) is the main source of drinking water for the Russian city of Khabarovsk, home to 600,000 residents, just across the Chinese border.

A spokeswoman for the Russian far east office of conservation organisation WWF, Yelena Starostina, told AFP a Russian WWF expert in Harbin said a ban on water drinking and fish eating there had caused panic among the local population.

"Fairly large quantities of benzol, a potent carcinogen, have clearly been dumped into the water," said the head of WWF's Russian far east office, Yuri Darman.

"This water will reach Khabarovsk within three or four days," and could then spill into the Amur, Darman added.

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FROTH AND BUBBLE

Major River Pollution Confirmed In NE China

Beijing (XNA) Nov 24, 2005
China's State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA) said here on Wednesday that the Songhua River in northeast China suffered a major water pollution incident owing to the explosion of a petrochemical plant at the upper reaches.