Retrieved from: shanghai daily
“A round of panic buying of mineral water swept the city of Hangzhou on Monday after a highway accident saw 20 tons of a toxic chemical flood a nearby river, affecting the drinking water supply of hundreds of thousands of residents.
“The accident happened at 11 pm Saturday when a truck carrying 31 tons of carbolic acid was hit by another heavy lorry. The crash punctured a large hole in its tank, causing the chemical to leak out and be washed into the river by heavy rains.
“The Xin’an River, a tributary of the Fuchun and Qiantang rivers, is the main source of drinking water for several cities in Zhejiang, including Hangzhou, the Xinhua News Agency reported.
“Lao Xinxiang, a spokesman of the Hangzhou Environment Protection Bureau, told reporters on Monday that five water utility companies in the city had been ordered to stop drawing water from the Xin’an, affecting 552,200 residents.
“The acid has been greatly diluted in the water, and the current level will cause little harm to people,” Hao said, referring to the increased discharge at the Xin’an River dam that is trying to rapidly dilute the spill.”
Read more: Global Times
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