9 officials punished over toxic spill
By Li Qian |
February 4, 2012, Saturday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
NINE officials in Hechi City in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region have been punished in connection with a cadmium spill that seriously contaminated a local river and threatened water supplies in a downstream city.
Li Wengang, a deputy mayor, and Jinchengjiang District head Wei Yongfu have received administrative sanctions, the regional supervision department of the Party told reporters yesterday.
Five others, including Wu Haique, director of the Hechi's environment protection Bureau, Wei Taigao, a deputy district head, and Pan Langming, a deputy director of the district's business administration, have been sacked.
Lan Qunfeng, head of the district environmental supervision team, and the deputy head, Wei Yi, have been transferred to judicial departments to be investigated and possibly face criminal prosecution for dereliction of duty.
Lei Yongda, a deputy director of the regional supervision department, told reporters: "We will crack down on any derelictions, corruptions and embezzlements. We will not tolerate such crimes."
The punishments meted out to the Hechi officials follow the detention of eight officials from two companies suspected to be responsible for the toxic spill. Three are from Guangxi Jinhe Mining Co Ltd and the others from Jinchengjiang Hongquan Lithopone Material Ltd.
Another four company executives are still on the run, according to He Xinxing, Hechi's mayor.
The cadmium, first detected in Longjiang River on January 15, affected residents in the downstream Liuzhou City and two counties, Liujiang and Liucheng, Xinhua news agency said.
Fishermen from the two counties have been banned from selling fish from the Longjiang River.
Feng Zhennian, spokesman for an emergency center set up after the spill, said cadmium levels in the regions that were sources of Liuzhou's water supply had dropped below the official limit and the city's drinking water met the national standard.
Thousands of tons of neutralizers made from dissolved aluminum chloride have been poured into nearby reservoirs to deal with the cadmium, which is a carcinogenic chemical mostly found in industrial effluent.
Li Wengang, a deputy mayor, and Jinchengjiang District head Wei Yongfu have received administrative sanctions, the regional supervision department of the Party told reporters yesterday.
Five others, including Wu Haique, director of the Hechi's environment protection Bureau, Wei Taigao, a deputy district head, and Pan Langming, a deputy director of the district's business administration, have been sacked.
Lan Qunfeng, head of the district environmental supervision team, and the deputy head, Wei Yi, have been transferred to judicial departments to be investigated and possibly face criminal prosecution for dereliction of duty.
Lei Yongda, a deputy director of the regional supervision department, told reporters: "We will crack down on any derelictions, corruptions and embezzlements. We will not tolerate such crimes."
The punishments meted out to the Hechi officials follow the detention of eight officials from two companies suspected to be responsible for the toxic spill. Three are from Guangxi Jinhe Mining Co Ltd and the others from Jinchengjiang Hongquan Lithopone Material Ltd.
Another four company executives are still on the run, according to He Xinxing, Hechi's mayor.
The cadmium, first detected in Longjiang River on January 15, affected residents in the downstream Liuzhou City and two counties, Liujiang and Liucheng, Xinhua news agency said.
Fishermen from the two counties have been banned from selling fish from the Longjiang River.
Feng Zhennian, spokesman for an emergency center set up after the spill, said cadmium levels in the regions that were sources of Liuzhou's water supply had dropped below the official limit and the city's drinking water met the national standard.
Thousands of tons of neutralizers made from dissolved aluminum chloride have been poured into nearby reservoirs to deal with the cadmium, which is a carcinogenic chemical mostly found in industrial effluent.
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