By David Eimer in Beijing
Published: 24 November 2005
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/asia/article328955.ece
Harbin, the largest city in north-eastern China, was in chaos last night as its panic-stricken residents attempted to flee the city after the local government cut off all water supplies and rumours of an imminent earthquake spread. Flights and trains out of Harbin, which has a population of more than nine million, were fully booked, while roads out of the city were jammed.
A discharge of toxic benzene, a solvent and component of petrol, leaking into the Songhua river, the source of Harbin's drinking water, forced local authorities to shut off the water supply to the city at midnight on Tuesday for at least the next four days. Residents were told to fill all available containers, including bathtubs, basins and buckets, with water and not to wash until the water supply came back on, while schools were shut until Monday and 15 hospitals in the city were put on standby.
"I have filled all the utensils at home: six basins, two Thermos flasks and an urn," Zhao Yunpeng, a salesman, told Chinese media. "We have never experienced something like this, so it's better to be well-prepared and who knows when the supply will be resumed?"
The price of bottled water soared on Monday, as panic buyers stripped supermarkets and shops of supplies after the news that the water would be shut off.
Having initially claimed that the water was being cut off for a check of the supply system, Harbin's city government admitted yesterday that water contamination was behind the supply cut. China's State Environmental Protection Administration (Sepa) confirmed that a "major pollution incident" had occurred, following an explosion on 13 November at a petrochemical plant in Jilin City, 120 miles south of Harbin.
"Pollutants containing benzene have flowed into the Songhua river and created water pollution," said a Sepa official. A 50-mile stretch of the Songhua was affected, with the level of nitrobenzene in that part of the river reported to be 29.1 times the standard level. Dead fish were found floating near the discharge pipe of the chemical plant, which is owned and operated by the state-run PetroChina. Local fishermen claimed their catch had shrunk to nothing since the explosion, which killed five people and was caused by workers failing to turn off a gas valve.
The delay in informing residents of the danger to the water supply was causing anger in Harbin yesterday. Some residents claimed that water supplies in parts of the city had been cut off on Monday and that bottled water companies in the area had been told to increase production over the weekend. The authorities were silent over the fate of other cities along the Songhua which the contaminated water would have flowed past.
Harbin was in turmoil even before the pollution scare. Rumours of an earthquake measuring 5 to 6.5 on the Richter scale had sparked panic over the weekend, leading some people to sleep outside in tents despite the fact that it is the coldest city in China. Temperatures were expected to drop to -12C last night.
Heilongjiang province, of which Harbin is the capital, is known for earthquakes. A quake in Daqing, 100 miles north-west of Harbin, in July injured a dozen people.
Northern China has long faced an acute water shortage, caused by widespread drought, pollution and rapid economic growth. Some 400 out of 660 Chinese cities suffer water shortages and the situation in 100 of those, including Beijing, is regarded as severe. A shortage of sewage treatment plants means the north of the country is reliant on diverting water from the south.
On Wednesday, Chen Bangzhu, the director of China's population, resources and environment committee, told a conference in Nanchang in Jiangxi province that 70 per cent of China's rivers and lakes were polluted. Mr Chen blamed the situation on the illegal discharge of waste and the overuse of fertilisers.
Authorities in Harbin said yesterday a decision on when to resume the water supply would be made after four days. Thousands of tons of bottled water were being sent into the city.
"There is sufficient water," claimed a government spokesman. "Residents have all stored a lot and we have been rushing in water from other places. We also have safe water from underground wells."
Harbin, the largest city in north-eastern China, was in chaos last night as its panic-stricken residents attempted to flee the city after the local government cut off all water supplies and rumours of an imminent earthquake spread. Flights and trains out of Harbin, which has a population of more than nine million, were fully booked, while roads out of the city were jammed.
A discharge of toxic benzene, a solvent and component of petrol, leaking into the Songhua river, the source of Harbin's drinking water, forced local authorities to shut off the water supply to the city at midnight on Tuesday for at least the next four days. Residents were told to fill all available containers, including bathtubs, basins and buckets, with water and not to wash until the water supply came back on, while schools were shut until Monday and 15 hospitals in the city were put on standby.
"I have filled all the utensils at home: six basins, two Thermos flasks and an urn," Zhao Yunpeng, a salesman, told Chinese media. "We have never experienced something like this, so it's better to be well-prepared and who knows when the supply will be resumed?"
The price of bottled water soared on Monday, as panic buyers stripped supermarkets and shops of supplies after the news that the water would be shut off.
Having initially claimed that the water was being cut off for a check of the supply system, Harbin's city government admitted yesterday that water contamination was behind the supply cut. China's State Environmental Protection Administration (Sepa) confirmed that a "major pollution incident" had occurred, following an explosion on 13 November at a petrochemical plant in Jilin City, 120 miles south of Harbin.
"Pollutants containing benzene have flowed into the Songhua river and created water pollution," said a Sepa official. A 50-mile stretch of the Songhua was affected, with the level of nitrobenzene in that part of the river reported to be 29.1 times the standard level. Dead fish were found floating near the discharge pipe of the chemical plant, which is owned and operated by the state-run PetroChina. Local fishermen claimed their catch had shrunk to nothing since the explosion, which killed five people and was caused by workers failing to turn off a gas valve. The delay in informing residents of the danger to the water supply was causing anger in Harbin yesterday. Some residents claimed that water supplies in parts of the city had been cut off on Monday and that bottled water companies in the area had been told to increase production over the weekend. The authorities were silent over the fate of other cities along the Songhua which the contaminated water would have flowed past.
Harbin was in turmoil even before the pollution scare. Rumours of an earthquake measuring 5 to 6.5 on the Richter scale had sparked panic over the weekend, leading some people to sleep outside in tents despite the fact that it is the coldest city in China. Temperatures were expected to drop to -12C last night.
Heilongjiang province, of which Harbin is the capital, is known for earthquakes. A quake in Daqing, 100 miles north-west of Harbin, in July injured a dozen people.
Northern China has long faced an acute water shortage, caused by widespread drought, pollution and rapid economic growth. Some 400 out of 660 Chinese cities suffer water shortages and the situation in 100 of those, including Beijing, is regarded as severe. A shortage of sewage treatment plants means the north of the country is reliant on diverting water from the south.
On Wednesday, Chen Bangzhu, the director of China's population, resources and environment committee, told a conference in Nanchang in Jiangxi province that 70 per cent of China's rivers and lakes were polluted. Mr Chen blamed the situation on the illegal discharge of waste and the overuse of fertilisers.
Authorities in Harbin said yesterday a decision on when to resume the water supply would be made after four days. Thousands of tons of bottled water were being sent into the city.
"There is sufficient water," claimed a government spokesman. "Residents have all stored a lot and we have been rushing in water from other places. We also have safe water from underground wells."
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