Dam planned to contain river pollution
By Li Fangchao (China Daily)
Updated: 2005-12-08 05:41

In a related development, the State Council on Tuesday set up a high-level team to probe the cause of the chemical plant blast which led to the pollution and vowed to mete out severe punishment to those responsible.

Li Yizhong, minister of the State Administration of Work Safety, was appointed the head of the investigation team.

Smoke billows out after a series of blasts hit a chemical factory in Jilin City, Northeast China's Jilin Province November 13, 2005. [Xinhua]

The team has three groups, responsible for technical, administrative and overall matters. The Supreme People's Procuratorate has also sent a representative.

The same day the special team was formed, Wang Wei, vice-mayor of Jilin city, who was in charge of work safety and environment protection, was found dead at home.

Wang, who took part in the rescue work after the blast, insisted to journalists then that there would be no pollution.

The exact reason for his death and whether it was related to the pollution case is unknown.

The Jilin Provincial Public Security Bureau is probing the case and local officials refused to comment.

The slick disrupted the lives of millions of residents living in the cities downstream of Songhua River.

It forced Harbin, capital of Heilongjiang Province, and a city of 3.8 million people, to cut tap-water supply for four days from November 23 to 27.

At 2 pm yesterday, the front of the contaminated water arrived at Aoqi Town, 30 kilometres away from urban Jiamusi.

Zhu Guanyao, deputy director of the State Environment Protection Administration (SEPA), yesterday asked governments at all levels along the Songhua River to strengthen monitoring.

Meanwhile, in Harbin, experts said they would closely study future impact on drinking water safety, irrigation, fisheries and livestock breeding when the ice melts.