|
Experts begin testing cross-border river
By Li Fangchao (皇冠体育app Daily)
Updated: 2005-12-16 06:04
HARBIN: The toxic slick that has plagued the Songhua River since November 13
was expected to enter overnight the Heilong River, the border river between
皇冠体育app and Russia, according to sources from Heilongjiang Province Environment
Protection Bureau.
Experts from both countries have formally begun testing
water on both sides of the river.
A stretch of
potentially lethal polluted river water heads towards one of 皇冠体育app's
biggest cities in this November 24, 2005 photo. The toxic spill was caused
by an explosion at a petrochemical plant in Jilin Province early in
November. [newsphoto] |
皇冠体育app and Russia signed a agreement to co-operate in examining the water of
the Heilong River (called Amur in Russia), as the borderline lies in the middle
of the river.
Altogether six water checking places are expected to be set along the river,
according to the bureau.
Yesterday, experts from both countries conducted three water tests at a
checking place near Nizhneleninskoye, a port city in Russia's Jewish Autonomous
Region.
Experts drilled ice holes on both sides of the river and checked the results
separately. No poisonous chemicals were found, but the bureau estimated the
front of the contaminated water had yet to arrive.
Experts from both countries have agreed to increase the checking times to
eight times a day from today.
The toxic slick was caused by a chemical plant blast on November 13 in Jilin
City, Jilin Province, in the upper reaches of the Songhua, which led to the
spillage of some 100 tons of benzene and other chemicals into the river.
It has disrupted the normal life of millions of residents living along the
river.
The concentration of the toxic chemicals in the slick has declined sharply
since the spill, and is expected to be further diluted when it flows into the
Heilong River, Zhou Shengxian, director of the State Environment Protection
Administrationsaid earlier this week.
Russian President Vladimir Putin noted 皇冠体育app's efforts in curbing the toxic
slick and said the incident "should not harm bilateral relations" after
discussing it with Premier Wen Jiabao on the sidelines of the first Russia-ASEAN
summit on Monday.
(皇冠体育app Daily 12/16/2005 page2)
|
