Water firm under fire for report delay
Print Edition
A CHINESE government team is investigating claims that a Sino-French joint venture delayed reporting tap water contamination that affected 2.4 million people in Lanzhou, capital of northwest China’s Gansu Province, at the weekend.
Levels of benzene, a cancer-inducing chemical, in the city’s tap water rose 20 times above national safety levels on Friday, forcing the city to turn off supplies and warn local residents not to use it for the next 24 hours.
The Lanzhou government said tests on Friday had found 200 micrograms of benzene per liter of water. The national safe standard is 10 micrograms.
Benzene is known to damage human blood cell production.
By yesterday morning, the city’s water had been declared safe after tests showed benzene levels met national standards.
Investigators found crude oil in soil along a duct between two water plants owned by Veolia Water.
The spill was initially believed to have leaked from a pipeline owned by Lanzhou Petrochemical, a subsidiary of China National Petroleum Corporation, the country’s largest oil company, according to investigators.
Locals still have doubts about the cause of the pollution and are concerned about tap water safety, Xinhua news agency reported.
According to Zheng Zhiqiang, deputy head of the investigation team, the underground poisoned water from the water source will be further tested to confirm the connection between the oil leak and the contaminated tap water.
China National Radio said on its website that Veolia discovered the benzene spike on Thursday afternoon, but only reported it to the city government the next morning. It quoted Zheng as saying that the investigation team’s next job was to look at whether Veolia’s actions were in accordance with regulations.
“We must verify and get evidence from relevant departments and people, including Veolia, about the discovery, reporting and handling situation of the benzene incident,” Zheng said.
Meanwhile, five Lanzhou residents are suing the water company over what they claim its delay in reporting the pollution.
As sole water supplier for urban Lanzhou, Veolia had a duty to supply safe water but it let the toxic water flow despite being aware of the contamination, one of the residents said yesterday.
Another said: “I suffered from severe anxiety and fear after I knew about the pollution.”
The lawsuit is asking for an apology published in a newspaper or on television and compensation of 5,972 yuan (US$961.49) for mental distress and financial losses, Caixin.com reported.
The residents said the Lanzhou Intermediate People’s Court had received the documents but hadn’t yet decided whether to accept the case.
Local residents have been complaining about the location of Veolia for some years. The plant is bordered by the Lanzhou Petrochemical Company and the Lanzhou Chemical Fertilizer Plant, Caixin reported. The Lanzhou Aluminum Plant, which had also been in the area, closed some time ago.
There had been several oil leaks from the pipeline in the 1980s. But instead of being replaced it had been repaired and was still in use, Yao Xin, Veolia’s president, said previously.
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