( Xinhua) 20:15, April 24, 2014 XINING, April 24 -- A wastewater leak from a copper mine has contaminated a river andnearby grassland in northwest China's Qinghai Province, government authorities said onThursday.
No human beings or livestock have been affected so far after 3,000 cubic meters ofwastewater leaked out of the tailing pond of the Suolagou copper polymetallic mine ataround 5:20 a.m. on Wednesday in Xinghai County in the Hainan Tibetan AutonomousPrefecture, said a spokesman with the county government.
Environmental inspectors of the county government received a report at 2:40 p.m. onWednesday and rushed to the scene, finding a river stretching 3 km in length and 10meters in width had already been contaminated along with bordering grassland.
The river is the drinking water source for seven villages, with a total population of over1,600 people.
Suolagou is a mine of the state-owned Qinghai Qiyuan Mining Company, based in theprovincial capital of Xining.
Local land resources and environmental protection authorities are diluting the pollutedwater, and the company has buried the affected grassland to avoid poisoning livestock.
Tests have showed the contaminated river water is within the drinking standard, said thespokesman. （Editor：HuangJin、Yao Chun） Related reading
|
