Photo: CCTV News

A river pollution incident in Chuzhou, East China's Anhui Province, has recently garnered widespread public attention. The leakage of sewage led to the death of a large number of fish and shrimp. Public outrage has been further fueled by the apparent lack of concern and responsibility shown by some local officials, with one even remarking that "people also die from drinking Moutai." According to the latest official announcement from an investigation team, these officials have been dismissed from their positions, and those responsible for the incident are currently under investigation.

After a warehouse fire at a chemical products company in Chuzhou's Quanjiao district caused the leak of contaminated water, the Chuhe River suffered severe pollution. An investigation conducted by China Central Television (CCTV) revealed that as of Saturday afternoon, efforts to salvage dead fish along the banks of the Chuhe River were still ongoing, while the river emitted a strong, pungent odor. The salvaged dead fish and river clams had been packed into over a dozen white woven bags, which were swarmed by flies and emitting a foul stench. This pollution incident resulted not only in the deaths of a large number of fish and shrimp in the Chuhe River but also caused extensive crayfish deaths in Quanjiao, leading to significant losses for aquaculture farmers.

During an interview with the CCTV reporters who arrived in Chuzhou to inquire with officials about the incident, Dou Ping, the director of the local ecological environment bureau in Quanjiao, stated that they had not conducted any toxicological analysis of the river water and there was no need to do so.

His statement further ignited public anger.

"People also die from drinking Moutai (a type of Chinese liquor). Do we need to conduct a toxicological analysis of Moutai?" he asked, rhetorically.

Another local water resources department official, Yang Jun, said in an interview that he "will retire in two months and so will not inquire too much [into the incident]." He added that he was "speaking the truth."

After the CCTV report was broadcast, the negative attitude and arrogance of the two officials immediately drew widespread criticism. Many netizens expressed shock that such words would come from the mouth of an environmental protection bureau chief, calling them both irresponsible and ignorant. The outcry prompted Anhui Province to send a joint investigation team to conduct a thorough investigation into the pollution along the Chuhe River.

On Tuesday afternoon, Han Jun, the secretary of the Anhui Provincial Party Committee, presided over a special meeting of the committee to listen to a report on the investigation and cleanup of the water pollution, as well as plans for pollution control and accountability. The meeting pointed out that the incident is a major ecological environmental disaster with extremely serious consequences.

During the meeting, the joint investigation team stated that the incident could have been avoided, but some officials acted recklessly and irresponsibly handling the situation, trying to cover up the problems in the hopes of getting away with it. Some officials also spoke carelessly to media, causing a negative impact.

On Wednesday, the joint investigation team released its latest report, announcing that the main responsible officials of the county party committee in Quanjiao have been removed from their positions, and that relevant personnel will continue to be investigated.

According to the official website of the Ecological Environment Bureau of Quanjiao county, Dou is no longer the director. According to the announcement of the Quanjiao County People's Government, Dou, Yang, and one other official have been dismissed.

The public security organs have taken compulsory measures against the relevant persons involved in the case, according to local authorities.

Global Times