Environment authorities have confirmed that sewage and industrial wastewater are to be blamed for the death of over 450,000 kilograms of fish in two eastern cities in China.
On August 29, Yongcheng County in central China's Henan Province, which is in the upriver area of Anhui's Huaibei and Suzhou cities, opened its Zhangqiao sluice to release water after industrial waste and sewage had been stored for a long time.
The polluted water flooded the downriver Huaibei's Tuohe River and Suzhou's Xinbian River.
According to the Shanghai Daily, there are no plans have not yet been put in place to compensate the fishermen suffering the loss.
Estimates showed that the financial loss from the pollution was more than three million yuan (US$375,000).
Anhui provincial environment authority reported the incident to the State Environmental Protection Administration.
Last month, the state teamed up with regional environment authorities to investigate. Local authorities were also called upon to check the water quality of two rivers and to inspect pollution-prone companies and local sewage treatment facilities.
The Shanghai Daily also reported that the state administration required authorities in Henan and Anhui to establish a joint mechanism to prevent such incidents in future.
Source: Shanghai Daily
