No pollution occurs in Songhua River
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2006-05-07 09:30
The benzene-related pollutants in northeast China's Songhua and Heilong
rivers remain at a safe level during the spring thaw period, China's State
Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA) said May 6.
"The water
quality in the Songhua and Heilong rivers is steady and no pollution has
occurred," read a statement from the SEPA.
The thaw period had finished,
but the benzene, nitrobenzene and aniline contents in the two rivers did not
exceed the national standards of both China and Russia, said the
SEPA.
The Songhua River, a tributary of the Heilong River which is also
called Amur River in Russia, was heavily polluted last year after a chemical
plant explosion upstream on November 13, causing some 100 tons of
benzene-related pollutants to spill into the river and endangering the water
supply for millions of residents along the river.
Since then, Chinese
environmental protection departments have been closely monitoring the changes of
water quality in the two rivers. China and Russia have also conducted several
joint monitoring exercises.
From March 4 to 22, the two sides took
samples of water, ice and silt from the different sections of Songhua River and
found benzene-related pollutants did not exceed the national standards of China
and Russia, according to the statement.
"At present, China and Russia are
discussing how to enhance environmental protection along the rivers bordering
the two countries," said the statement.
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