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Pastures ruined by dumping of toxic chemicals
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AN area of grazing land in north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region that has been home to sheep, cattle and rare birds since the 1960s is being gradually destroyed by reckless chemical dumping.
Once a wasteland in the Mu Us Desert, the area around the town of Wushenzhao in the Wushen Banner of Erdos, was reclaimed half a century ago and transformed into a lush meadow, The Beijing News reported yesterday.
The area was also once home to the saltwater Oagan Nur Lake, but its rich bounty was soon exploited and it dried up.
In 2004, the remaining pit was refilled with wastewater from the Wushenzhao chemical park about 3 kilometers away. Now, the “sewage lagoon” spans 10 square kilometers — four times the size of the original lake — and its contents are wreaking havoc on the environment, the report said.
According to local herdsmen, the chemical plants discharge their waste directly into the lagoon and recklessly pump underground water. As a result, the quality of the grassland has deteriorated and the local wildlife is struggling to survive.
The bodies of dead birds — including those of protected species such as the egret and pied avocet — litter the area around the stinking lagoon, the report said, adding that reporters counted more than 200 in a single 300-meter stretch.
Herdsmen said that more than 10,000 dead birds were reported in July alone. The local government regularly sends workers to collect the bodies and bury them, they said.
As well as the avian casualties, three cattle were fatally poisoned after feeding near the former lake, a herdsman said.
A source was quoted as saying that the chemical plants used to discharge their wastewater through a drain that led straight into the lagoon, but closed it in response to protests.
They didn’t stop dumping, however, and soon after opened an underground line instead, the person said.
According to the report, water in the southern section of the lagoon, which is divided by a dam, has a red tone and smells of rotten eggs, suggesting the presence of the extremely hazardous hydrogen sulfide.
The northern section is filled with the bodies of dead birds and the water is highly malodorous, the report said.
As well as polluting the land, local industry is also draining underground water from the area via 60 deep wells. These serve not only the Wushenzhao park, but also chemical plants in the town of Ulan Moron, nearly 100km away, it said.
Herdsmen said they cannot compete with the wells and have to travel huge distances to find water for their animals.
Meanwhile, the local flora is also fading away as the land dries out, the report said.
“In a desert area like this, the effects of pumping underground water can be catastrophic,” said Mou Guangfeng, an expert from the Ministry of Environmental Protection.
“Such water sources are built over millions of years, but overexploitation can damage the land beyond repair,” he said.
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