Another city in China, through which the Tung Hua River flows, has decided to cut off the water supply for the entire region.
Party leaders have gone door-to-door distributing bottled water to residents in an effort to mitigate the community health impacts caused by the toxic contamination disaster.
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Overview of the Benzene-contaminated Tung Hua River |
The municipal water system supplying approximately 26,000 residents in Dalianhe, a suburb of Yilan, in the northeastern province of Heilongjiang, had to cease operations at 6 PM on November 30 due to the contamination of the river with benzene, which has reached this section of the river flowing through the county.
The provincial government has declared that Yilan will not be significantly affected, as nearly half of the population here (about 110,000 people) relies on well water rather than municipal water. Representatives from the water plant also indicated that the water cut-off would only last for three days.
Yilan television has continuously broadcast announcements regarding the water cut-off in the county, along with warnings from the Health Department advising residents not to drink or use river water. Police and government officials wearing red armbands have handed out flyers containing detailed information on precautions against contaminated water.
Despite the extremely cold weather, residents in the area have rushed to buy bottled water from stores and supermarkets, stocking up on fresh water in every container that can hold it.
