{"id":4208,"date":"2009-02-26T12:02:57","date_gmt":"2009-02-26T18:02:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wordpress-367309-1145705.cloudwaysapps.com\/?p=4208"},"modified":"2009-02-26T12:02:57","modified_gmt":"2009-02-26T18:02:57","slug":"toxic-chemical-spill-in-chinese-city-leaves-residents-without-water","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/articles\/toxic-chemical-spill-in-chinese-city-leaves-residents-without-water\/","title":{"rendered":"Toxic Chemical Spill in Chinese City Leaves Residents without Water"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The local government identified Biaoxin Chemical Company<\/a> as the party responsible for the tainted water, which illegally discharged the toxic chemicals from its facility, said state media Xinhua news agency. Xinhua also reported that the plant has been shut down and its top executives arrested. Officials have not provided any additional information; and state media China Daily reports that no one has come forward with symptoms of poisoning<\/a> have not been independently confirmed.<\/p>\n The official city of Yancheng<\/a> website has not posted additional news or information. However, it lays claim to a record of arduous efforts to protect the environment, including setting up \u201cstiff policies\u2026to monitor potential polluters.\u201d The rhetorical statement serves as a reminder of the often blatant disparity between strict environmental regulations and lax enforcement throughout China. Known for its wetlands and salt deposits (Yangcheng literally translates as \u201csalt city\u201d), the city received over US$2 million in funding from the central government and Asian Development Bank<\/a> in 2007 to restore and protect its wetlands. According to the city’s website:<\/p>\n The Yancheng National Nature Reserve occupies 453,000 hectares and is the largest coastal wetland in China with extensive mudflats along over 120 km of coastline, and about 3 million individuals of 200 bird species annually migrating through the site.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n No information about whether the spill has affected the wetlands has been released.<\/p>\n