A major river which flows into the East China Sea could be
polluted following the chemical plant blasts in Zhejiang Province Thursday.
At least two people were missing and another was injured in the
blasts which occurred at 8:00 AM in the Longxin Chemical Plant in
the city of Longquan in the mountainous Lishui region of southern
Zhejiang.
The plant is located near the Longquan Spring which is the
source of Zhejiang's second longest waterway -- the
Oujiang.River.
The 384-kilometer Oujiang River meanders through some 18,100
square kilometers of land in an area which has 4.69 million
inhabitants.
The spring flows into the reservoirs of two hydropower stations,
joins the Oujiang River and flows through the urban areas of Lishui
and Wenzhou city before it enters the East China Sea.
Large amounts of sand and rubble were trucked to the site in an
effort to stem the intake of the spring and prevent any water from
contaminating the river, project workers said.
Longxin Chemical Plant produces hydrogen peroxide commonly used
in bleaching, antiseptics and deodorants. Industrial hydrogen
peroxide contains arsenic, heavy metals and other toxic ingredients
which can be harmful.
The cause of the blasts and what impacts they'll have on the
environment are being investigated.
(China.org.cn, Xinhua News Agency June 16, 2006)
