Employees of a Huizhou logistics company who are suspected of
pouring tons of industrial oil into a Shenzhen reservoir have been
arrested, officials with the Shenzhen Municipal Public Security
Bureau said yesterday.
The suspects were arrested during a special operation Sunday
afternoon in Longgang District. The police refused to reveal how
many people were involved in the case.
The affected Chi'ao reservoir in Longgang District supplies
water to more than 300,000 local residents living in the Pingshan
and Kengzi areas in the district.
A spokesman for the Longgang water resources bureau, who refused
to be named, said the contamination had been "effectively
controlled," although the incident had affected water supply to
nearby residents for a short period of time.
The reservoir was heavily polluted after the suspects poured
some 30 tons of heavy oil into it Thursday night.
The spill was discovered by an employee of the Pingshan water
supply company who inspected the reservoir Thursday night.
Witnesses said they saw a layer of filthy black oil extending
between 300 and 500 square meters.
The district's water resources bureau sealed off the reservoir
Thursday night, and required water supply companies in nearby areas
to process and then discharge all polluted water. The reservoir's
water quality met the health authorities' standard yesterday, after
all the oil had been removed.
(Shenzhen Daily September 12, 2007)