Toxic spill in Harbin, water supply cut off
A toxic spill of benzene in the city of Harbin has led to an indefinite water supply shutoff.
BBC source link
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Massive amounts of the chemical benzene were released by a blast 11 days ago at a plant in Jilin, about 380km (230 miles) further up the Songhua river.
Authorities shut off water supplies to Harbin's 3.8m residents two days ago.
There is plenty of bottled water, wells are being dug and supplies are being driven in, says a BBC correspondent.
More than 16,000 tonnes of water are also being brought in by road, the Chinese state news agency Xinhua says - though this is less than Harbin's residents normally use in a day.
News sources in Beijing and other areas have been openly critical about official responses:
Hong Kong's Economic Times:
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The cover-up of an especially big ecological disaster has once again exposed how the mainland, when encountering major accidents, is only concerned with covering them up, neglecting the people's safety and making the disasters become irredeemable. These kinds of hazards in China have not disappeared, and also pose a threat to the Hong Kong economy and Hong Kong people.
BEIJING'S ZHONGGUO JINGJI SHIBAO
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If individual leaders tell lies irresponsibly, this is an extremely terrible crime against society, because any rumour could trigger a social disaster! This matter is about to come out into the open, and by then, those who have lied irresponsibly will certainly be punished severely.
BBC source link
The discontent of course isn't baseless.
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Some point to greater government awareness about the need to communicate more openly, especially on public health.
But critics say there is still an unhealthy preoccupation about controlling information, rooted in the underlying belief that tight control of information is essential for social stability and the preservation of the current one-party system.
BBC source link
Finally, you can find what dangerous concentrations of benzene does to you here:
BBC source link
If you live in the Harbin area, my best wishes for you all.
