A chemical spill has left one person dead and another seriously
burnt, and polluted a source of drinking water for 100,000
residents in northwest China's Shaanxi Province, a local official said
Saturday.
A tank car loaded with 25 tons of liquid caustic soda fell into
the upper reaches of the Xuefeng Reservoir in the Hancheng City,
Weinan City of Shaanxi due to slippery road caused by rains at
about 9?PM on Friday, said Duan Xuanmin, director of the
Hancheng Environment Protection Bureau.
One person in the car was killed on the spot and another was
seriously burnt, Duan said.
Local government has built a dam at the site where the car fell,
about 5 km away from the reservoir, which is the source of drinking
water for about 100,000 local residents, Duan said.
Meanwhile, the government has transported 10 tons of
hydrochloric acid from the provincial capital of Xi'an to
neutralize the water contaminated by liquid caustic soda, he
said.
So far, a small amount of pollutants has flown into the
reservoir, but that is not enough to constitute a threat to the
water quality, which is now being closely watched by technical
workers, the official said.
Local government has ordered departments concerned, such as
environmental protection, health, and water resources, to monitor
the water quality of the river way at several sites and report the
result every hour, he said.
In addition, the government has issued an urgent notice to the
residents along the river, reminding them about the chemical spill
and not to use the water.
A spare well has been put into use to provide drinking water at
intervals for about 100,000 residents, and so far, the water supply
have not been affected much, Duan said.
(Xinhua News Agency August 27, 2006)