All of the liquid chemical waste dumped into the Yangtze River in Hubei province on Sunday has been removed and no water plants have been contaminated, local environmental authorities said Wednesday.
A nightshift worker at a porcelain factory in the town of Lanxi, Xishui county, witnessed 14 bucketfuls of waste being tipped into the river on Sunday night, the Hubei environmental protection bureau said.
The waste was found to contain trichloroacetic acid - which releases a poisonous gas when heated - ethyl benzoate and isopropyl naphthalene, it said.
Only a small part of the chemical waste flowed into the river thanks to the swift action of local authorities, the bureau said.
However, as a precaution, a local water plant has been told to stop drawing water from the river and to use its emergency supply instead.
The water at three other plants in the counties of Qichuan and Wuxue was not affected, the bureau said.
The quality of the water downstream is being tested every two hours, it said.
Public security authorities have joined the effort to catch the perpetrator of the "vicious incident", the bureau said.
The witness was unable to provide authorities with the number plate of the vehicle, which fled quickly after dumping the waste, the bureau said.
The incident is the latest in a series of water pollution cases in Hubei.
In September of last year, the Hanjiang River, a branch of the Yangtze, was badly polluted by wastewater from a paper mill.
The incident led to the water supply in some areas being suspended for a week.
Source: China Daily
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Abu Dhabi explores China's outbound travel market
In view of the huge potential of China's outbound travel market, Chinese tourists interests for cultural tourism and the substantial air links between Beijing and Abu Dhabi, the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority recently set up tourism promotion office in China, and established closer ties with more than 900 Chinese travel agencies to build destination awareness.
According to the ADTA, the Sa'adiyat Island, a natural island lying 500 meters off the coast of Abu Dhabi, is to be home to the world's largest concentration of premier cultural institutions. The five major museums, art galleries and a performing arts centre will be built here, including the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi Museum and the Louvre Abu Dhabi 鈥�the only Louvre outside of France. Both are expected to open in 2012/2013.
In addition, the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority is working to let more Chinese businessmen to find tremendous business opportunities through participate in the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Center's industry exhibition.
By People's Daily Online
According to the ADTA, the Sa'adiyat Island, a natural island lying 500 meters off the coast of Abu Dhabi, is to be home to the world's largest concentration of premier cultural institutions. The five major museums, art galleries and a performing arts centre will be built here, including the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi Museum and the Louvre Abu Dhabi 鈥�the only Louvre outside of France. Both are expected to open in 2012/2013.
In addition, the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority is working to let more Chinese businessmen to find tremendous business opportunities through participate in the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Center's industry exhibition.
By People's Daily Online
Official dismisses claims of "hundreds missing" in north China mud-rock flow
A senior official in north China on Thursday moved to quash Internet claims that "hundreds" of people are missing after a mud-rock flow that has officially left 128 dead so far.
Shanxi Provincial Government secretary-general Wang Qingxian said the number of people missing in the disaster was yet to be confirmed, and dismissed the Internet claims as "mere speculation".
"The specific figure of the people missing in the disaster has not been established yet," said Wang at a news conference. "We are still evaluating the situation."
Wang also promised timely updates of the casualty numbers with "openness and transparency".
He said rescuers had sped up their work with "all-out efforts". "The search, if the weather conditions allow, is expected to finish in three to five days."
The disaster happened when the bank of a pond holding waste oredregs of an unlicensed mine burst, leaving 128 dead and 35 injured as of Wednesday.
Some reports said hundreds of people were feared to have been buried underneath the mud, but the local government has released no figures concerning the number of missing people.
Wang said the mine was purchased and transferred to a man named Zhang Peiliang when the local government auctioned it off in 2005.
But Zhang did not apply for new licenses after its safety production license was suspended in 2006 and the mining license expired in 2007.
After the pond breached on Sept. 8, an area of 30.2 hectares was covered by the mud. The mud-rock flow damaged buildings, trade markets and some residences lying downstream.
Source:Xinhua
Shanxi Provincial Government secretary-general Wang Qingxian said the number of people missing in the disaster was yet to be confirmed, and dismissed the Internet claims as "mere speculation".
"The specific figure of the people missing in the disaster has not been established yet," said Wang at a news conference. "We are still evaluating the situation."
Wang also promised timely updates of the casualty numbers with "openness and transparency".
He said rescuers had sped up their work with "all-out efforts". "The search, if the weather conditions allow, is expected to finish in three to five days."
The disaster happened when the bank of a pond holding waste oredregs of an unlicensed mine burst, leaving 128 dead and 35 injured as of Wednesday.
Some reports said hundreds of people were feared to have been buried underneath the mud, but the local government has released no figures concerning the number of missing people.
Wang said the mine was purchased and transferred to a man named Zhang Peiliang when the local government auctioned it off in 2005.
But Zhang did not apply for new licenses after its safety production license was suspended in 2006 and the mining license expired in 2007.
After the pond breached on Sept. 8, an area of 30.2 hectares was covered by the mud. The mud-rock flow damaged buildings, trade markets and some residences lying downstream.
Source:Xinhua
China's environment watchdog warns leaders of penalties over pollution failures
China's environment watchdog has warned local government leaders that they face penalties over failures to clean up the country's major rivers and lakes.
The Ministry of Environment Protection on Wednesday put the leaders of 21 provincial-level governments on notice that they would be held personally accountable for the continued pollution of seven main waterways.
The ministry announced the measure at a national meeting on water pollution prevention in east China's Jinan, which was attended by officials from the National Development and Reform Commission and the ministries of supervision, finance, housing and urban-rural development.
Environmental Protection Minister Zhou Shengxian told the meeting that the new measure would take effect early next year, although he did not reveal what penalties would be handed out.
The 21 governments had given the ministry annual targets in their plans for pollution prevention in the basins of the Huaihe, Haihe, Liaohe, Songhua rivers, the middle and upper streams of the Yangtze and Yellow rivers as well Chaohu and Dianchi lakes.
The plans were based on a five-year national guideline to protect the water resources.
Zhou said the ministry would hold specific officials responsible for any failures to meet the targets, but he did not say which provinces missed their goals for the past two years.
"Through the evaluation system, the ministry will reinforce its supervision of local government implementation of the state's environmental protection objectives," said Zhang Bo, deputy director of Shandong Provincial Bureau of Environmental Protection, after the meeting.
He said the ministry also required the local governments to publish their annual goals on pollution control for public scrutiny.
The Chinese government has set a target of reducing major water pollutant emissions by 10 percent from 2005 levels by 2010.
Zhou told the meeting that emissions had fallen by only 2.3 percent for the past two years, meaning more reductions totaling 7.7 percent were required in less than three years.
He said local environmental watchdogs nationwide reported water pollution cases every other day, and the number had increased by 30 percent in the first half year from the same period of last year. He did not give the number of cases for either six-month period.
He reiterated that the reduction in pollution discharges to water bodies was the fundamental to improving the environment.
The ministry was established on March 27 from its predecessor, the State Environmental Protection Administration. It completed an expansion in August, which was reported to be aimed at reinforcing its role in the prevention and control of water pollution.
In August, the ministry submitted a proposal to the National People's Congress, China's top law-making body, seeking powers to detain for up to 15 days people responsible for illegally discharging dangerous chemicals into water and those responsible for discharges of poisonous, radioactive and erosive substances, or pathogens or illegally disposing of dangerous substances should be held responsible.
The proposal did not specify penalties, but said they should be determined according to the severity of the incident.
According to the Chinese law, only police authorities above county level have the power to exercise administrative detention, which is different from criminal arrest and lasts from one to 15 days. The punishment also applies to leaders found guilty of dereliction of duty.
Staff and senior officials environmental agencies that fail to transfer those suspected of water pollution could face warnings, demerits, demotions, or dismissal, according to the proposal.
Zhou said on Sept. 1 that 1.6 million cases of water pollution had been reported through a government hotline since the beginning of 2003.
Source:Xinhua
The Ministry of Environment Protection on Wednesday put the leaders of 21 provincial-level governments on notice that they would be held personally accountable for the continued pollution of seven main waterways.
The ministry announced the measure at a national meeting on water pollution prevention in east China's Jinan, which was attended by officials from the National Development and Reform Commission and the ministries of supervision, finance, housing and urban-rural development.
Environmental Protection Minister Zhou Shengxian told the meeting that the new measure would take effect early next year, although he did not reveal what penalties would be handed out.
The 21 governments had given the ministry annual targets in their plans for pollution prevention in the basins of the Huaihe, Haihe, Liaohe, Songhua rivers, the middle and upper streams of the Yangtze and Yellow rivers as well Chaohu and Dianchi lakes.
The plans were based on a five-year national guideline to protect the water resources.
Zhou said the ministry would hold specific officials responsible for any failures to meet the targets, but he did not say which provinces missed their goals for the past two years.
"Through the evaluation system, the ministry will reinforce its supervision of local government implementation of the state's environmental protection objectives," said Zhang Bo, deputy director of Shandong Provincial Bureau of Environmental Protection, after the meeting.
He said the ministry also required the local governments to publish their annual goals on pollution control for public scrutiny.
The Chinese government has set a target of reducing major water pollutant emissions by 10 percent from 2005 levels by 2010.
Zhou told the meeting that emissions had fallen by only 2.3 percent for the past two years, meaning more reductions totaling 7.7 percent were required in less than three years.
He said local environmental watchdogs nationwide reported water pollution cases every other day, and the number had increased by 30 percent in the first half year from the same period of last year. He did not give the number of cases for either six-month period.
He reiterated that the reduction in pollution discharges to water bodies was the fundamental to improving the environment.
The ministry was established on March 27 from its predecessor, the State Environmental Protection Administration. It completed an expansion in August, which was reported to be aimed at reinforcing its role in the prevention and control of water pollution.
In August, the ministry submitted a proposal to the National People's Congress, China's top law-making body, seeking powers to detain for up to 15 days people responsible for illegally discharging dangerous chemicals into water and those responsible for discharges of poisonous, radioactive and erosive substances, or pathogens or illegally disposing of dangerous substances should be held responsible.
The proposal did not specify penalties, but said they should be determined according to the severity of the incident.
According to the Chinese law, only police authorities above county level have the power to exercise administrative detention, which is different from criminal arrest and lasts from one to 15 days. The punishment also applies to leaders found guilty of dereliction of duty.
Staff and senior officials environmental agencies that fail to transfer those suspected of water pollution could face warnings, demerits, demotions, or dismissal, according to the proposal.
Zhou said on Sept. 1 that 1.6 million cases of water pollution had been reported through a government hotline since the beginning of 2003.
Source:Xinhua
Man burns himself to death in Shanghai
A man, whose identity remains unknown, died after setting himself ablaze in Shanghai's historic riverside Bund area at around 11 a.m. on Thursday, local police and witnesses said.
The man reportedly poured gas over himself to spark the blaze on a square named after Chen Yi, a late marshal of the Chinese People's Liberation Army beside the Huangpu River.
"I didn't see how it started, but suddenly spotted a flame that was moving about near Chen Yi's statue," said a witness on condition of anonymity. "It was a horrible scene."
Fire fighters were sent in immediately and the blaze was put out in about 5 minutes, he said. "An electric bike was also burned-- I guess it belonged to that man."
The square was packed with people when the self-immolation occurred, but nobody realized what was going on until it was too late. No one at the site saw what the man looked like or how old he was.
When Xinhua reporters arrived at the site in the early afternoon, the corpse had been removed by police and the ground washed, but the air still smelt of gasoline.
Shanghai police said they were investigating the identity of the man and the cause of the suicide.
The Bund is a big draw for tourists as well as Shanghai residents.
Source:Xinhua
The man reportedly poured gas over himself to spark the blaze on a square named after Chen Yi, a late marshal of the Chinese People's Liberation Army beside the Huangpu River.
"I didn't see how it started, but suddenly spotted a flame that was moving about near Chen Yi's statue," said a witness on condition of anonymity. "It was a horrible scene."
Fire fighters were sent in immediately and the blaze was put out in about 5 minutes, he said. "An electric bike was also burned-- I guess it belonged to that man."
The square was packed with people when the self-immolation occurred, but nobody realized what was going on until it was too late. No one at the site saw what the man looked like or how old he was.
When Xinhua reporters arrived at the site in the early afternoon, the corpse had been removed by police and the ground washed, but the air still smelt of gasoline.
Shanghai police said they were investigating the identity of the man and the cause of the suicide.
The Bund is a big draw for tourists as well as Shanghai residents.
Source:Xinhua
Outsourcing service, new engine of China's economy
Outsourcing service will be the new engine of China's economy, vice Minister of Commerce Ma Xiuhong said in a seminar for China's Outsource Service Park at Xiamen recently.
Outsourcing service has been another important strategic choice of developing countries to participate in international competition, Ma said.
The preliminary statistics from January to August shows that there were 2,545 outsourcing service companies in China, and 1,907 of them have gained various international certifications; over 390,000 people are doing this job, and nearly 170,000 graduates of universities and colleges are taking the training; the total value of service outsourcing contracts was over 4.8 billion U.S. dollar, a 91.45% increase year-on-year.
By People's Daily Online
Outsourcing service has been another important strategic choice of developing countries to participate in international competition, Ma said.
The preliminary statistics from January to August shows that there were 2,545 outsourcing service companies in China, and 1,907 of them have gained various international certifications; over 390,000 people are doing this job, and nearly 170,000 graduates of universities and colleges are taking the training; the total value of service outsourcing contracts was over 4.8 billion U.S. dollar, a 91.45% increase year-on-year.
By People's Daily Online
Milk powder sent for testing after dozens of babies get sick
The number of sick babies in China continues to grow as at least seven provinces are now reporting cases of kidney stones in infants.
National food and health authorities are trying to find out if all the babies drank the same brand of milk powder. Samples had been sent to a state-run lab for analysis.
According to Gansu Provincial Health Department spokesman, YangJingke, at least 16 babies drank formula labeled Sanlu, a popular dairy brand. However, he said analysis and investigations were underway and there was no evidence at the moment that the milk powder caused kidney stones.
At least one baby in the northwest province had died as a result of kidney stones. Yang said he was unsure if the infant drank the same milk powder.
So far this year, the health department had seen 59 kidney stone cases in infants. Most of them live in rural areas of the province. There were no such cases in 2006 or 2007.
The department was made aware of the spreading problem on July 16 after a local hospital reported seeing 16 babies with kidney stones. All those babies drank the same brand of formula.
Similar numbers are popping up around the country.
The Modern Express, a newspaper based in the eastern Jiangsu Province, told Xinhua, babies also had kidney stones in Jiangsu, Ningxia and Shaanxi.
The Oriental Morning Post, based in Shanghai, reported infants in the eastern Shandong and Anhui provinces as well as Hunan, in central China, were also inflicted.
The No.1 Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University in the capital of Shaanxi Province told Xinhua on Thursday they had recorded six such cases in the past two months but all the infants had been cured and discharged from hospital.
Yin Aiping, a doctor of the Xi'an hospital, said the infants, aging from six months to 20 months from Shaanxi, Gansu and Ningxia,drank the Sanlu milk powder.
No official figures have been released regarding just how many babies could be sick across the country.
Parents of the affected babies said they bought the milk powder at much cheaper prices than usual.
A spokesperson of Sanlu Group said more than 1,000 employees were conducting their own investigations throughout China. The group was waiting for results from lab analysis, he added.
This is not the first time Sanlu has been in the headlines for a food quality scandal.
Thirteen infants died of malnutrition in 2004 in east Anhui Province after consuming substandard milk powder. Illegal manufacturers counterfeited products of Sanlu, along with other major dairy companies, which caused 171 babies to be hospitalized.
Source:Xinhua
National food and health authorities are trying to find out if all the babies drank the same brand of milk powder. Samples had been sent to a state-run lab for analysis.
According to Gansu Provincial Health Department spokesman, YangJingke, at least 16 babies drank formula labeled Sanlu, a popular dairy brand. However, he said analysis and investigations were underway and there was no evidence at the moment that the milk powder caused kidney stones.
At least one baby in the northwest province had died as a result of kidney stones. Yang said he was unsure if the infant drank the same milk powder.
So far this year, the health department had seen 59 kidney stone cases in infants. Most of them live in rural areas of the province. There were no such cases in 2006 or 2007.
The department was made aware of the spreading problem on July 16 after a local hospital reported seeing 16 babies with kidney stones. All those babies drank the same brand of formula.
Similar numbers are popping up around the country.
The Modern Express, a newspaper based in the eastern Jiangsu Province, told Xinhua, babies also had kidney stones in Jiangsu, Ningxia and Shaanxi.
The Oriental Morning Post, based in Shanghai, reported infants in the eastern Shandong and Anhui provinces as well as Hunan, in central China, were also inflicted.
The No.1 Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University in the capital of Shaanxi Province told Xinhua on Thursday they had recorded six such cases in the past two months but all the infants had been cured and discharged from hospital.
Yin Aiping, a doctor of the Xi'an hospital, said the infants, aging from six months to 20 months from Shaanxi, Gansu and Ningxia,drank the Sanlu milk powder.
No official figures have been released regarding just how many babies could be sick across the country.
Parents of the affected babies said they bought the milk powder at much cheaper prices than usual.
A spokesperson of Sanlu Group said more than 1,000 employees were conducting their own investigations throughout China. The group was waiting for results from lab analysis, he added.
This is not the first time Sanlu has been in the headlines for a food quality scandal.
Thirteen infants died of malnutrition in 2004 in east Anhui Province after consuming substandard milk powder. Illegal manufacturers counterfeited products of Sanlu, along with other major dairy companies, which caused 171 babies to be hospitalized.
Source:Xinhua
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