Russia warns of contaminated water from China

23 November 2005 13:29  [Source: ICIS news]

MOSCOW (ICIS news)--Water supplies to some Russian towns and cities in the Far East could be affected by chemical contamination following the 13 November explosion at the Jilin Petrochemical plant in Northeast China, Russian government agencies warned on Wednesday.

"The water supply of Khabarovsk city may be affected by chemical pollution by the end of this month," the Russian Natural Resources Ministry and environmental watchdog Rosprirodnadzor said in a joint statement on Wednesday.

After the Chinese authorities cut water supplies to China's Harbin city, waters polluted by benzene could reach the Russian border along the Amur River by 26-27 November, according to the statement. Chemical contamination could then affect Khabarovsk on 1-3 December and Komsomolsk-on-Amur on 7-10 December, the statement added.

Russian Far Eastern regions have enough resources to deal with the contamination, the statement said. However, the government dispatched a special mission headed by Rosprirodnadzor deputy head Oleg Mitvol to monitor the situation.

By: Sergei Blagov
+44 20 8652 3214

For the latest chemical news, data and analysis that directly impacts your business sign up for a free trial to ICIS news - the breaking online news service for the global chemical industry.

Get the facts and analysis behind the headlines from our market leading weekly magazine: sign up to a free trial to ICIS Chemical Business.

Printer Friendly