Floods Plunge 3,000 Chemical Barrels into Songhua River

(Beijing) – Rain-triggered floods carried 3,000 barrels of chemicals into the Songhua River in Jilin Province on July 28. Another 4,000 empty barrels also entered the river, according to a press conference in Jilin City on July 29.

The latest spill occurred when flood waters rushed through two chemical plants in Jilin City on July 28, sending thousands of barrels into the Songhua River. Each chemical-filled barrel contains about 170 kilograms of chemicals. The supply of water was cut in parts of the city and residents hoarded bottled water from local grocery stores.

According to Xinhua News Agency, of the 3,000 chemical-filled barrels, about 2,500 contain a colorless flammable liquid with a pungent odor. Five hundred barrels contain a chemical derivative of ammonia, a colorless liquid with a pungent odor.

The Songhua River has experienced severe environmental accidents in the recent past. In November 2005, the river was contaminated with benzene, forcing authorities to cut water supplies to millions of people, including the city of Harbin. 

The local city government has sent emergency workers and soldiers to retrieve the barrels. About 400 barrels have been collected from the river so far.  

The Songhua River is the largest tributary of the Heilongjiang or Amur River, which forms China's border with Russia for several hundred kilometers before crossing fully into the neighboring nation. It flows from Changbai Mountains through the Heilongjiang and Jilin Provinces.