China - Millions of dead fish in Min river water

[Pathfinder]

09/05/2011 13:10
CHINA

Millions of dead fish in river water authority claims "is normal"

In the Min River, the main river of Fujian, in the space of a few days tens of millions of fish have died. People block roads to protest against authorities indifference. Gutian County produces over 100 tons of fish a day, now its economy is destroyed.



Beijing (AsiaNews / Agencies) -
...
The fish die-off began on August 31 between the city of Huangtian and Shuikou and continued, culminating on September 2 when the Min River was covered in waves of dead fish (see photo). The Xinhua state news agency speaks of more than 8 thousand cases of dead fish in Shuikou and a further 1,000 in Huangtian, but China National Radio speaks of "tens of millions of dead fish", with serious damage to the economy of the area, home to many fish farms. Gutian County, about 100 km from Fuzhou, is renowned as the largest producer of carp and provides every day over 125 tons to fish markets.

The Min River is the main river of Fujian, called the "mother river", and is a source of drinking water for millions of people. Pharmaceutical factories upstream are believed responsible for the pollution. But after days of fish deaths, the authorities have only replied that "investigations are ongoing," and while the die-off continued, drinking water managers claimed that there was "nothing abnormal"
...

http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Mill...r-water-authority-claims-is-normal-22543.html

 

[Emily]

Re: China - Millions of dead fish in Min river water

http://www.fis.com/fis/worldnews/worldnews.asp?monthyear=&day=6&id=45769&l=e&special=&ndb=1%20target=

Tonnes of fish die in Min River

Click on the flag for more information about China CHINA
Tuesday, September 06, 2011, 02:40 (GMT + 9)

[snip]
However, authorities have only replied that "investigations are ongoing," and denied that there was "nothing abnormal" about the drinking water in the river despite the ongoing die-offs ? even as residents say that "the water is black and there is an oily substance on the surface."

In the video with the article, they report that residents observed the dark water move through the river prior to the die-off, but the name of the river in the video is the Zijiang in the Hunan province, so that might be another event that happened in August.

<object width="420" height="345"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/gSXrKIlcXXw?version=3&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/gSXrKIlcXXw?version=3&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="420" height="345" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object>

 

[Pathfinder]

Re: China - Millions of dead fish in Min river water

Quote from Emily:

"In the video with the article, they report that residents observed the dark water move through the river prior to the die-off, but the name of the river in the video is the Zijiang in the Hunan province, so that might be another event that happened in August."

Yes, another fishkill happened in August:

Large Number of Fish Found Dead in Central China River
2011-08-12 10:24:38 Xinhua Web Editor: Jiang

A large number of fish were found dead over the past week in a river in central China's Hunan Province, local environmental authorities said.

The dead fish, both wild and artificially bred, were found in a 55-km-long section of the Zijiang River in Xinshao County, said Luo Chunyi, head of the county's environmental protection bureau.
...
A test of the river's water conducted by the county's environmental authorities showed that the amount of dissolved oxygen in the river was significantly lower than what is required for fish to be able to survive.

The authorities said the test results ruled out the possibility of industrial pollution, but did not provide an explanation for the river's low oxygen levels.

More,,,
http://english.cri.cn/6909/2011/08/12/189s653168.htm

 

[Pathfinder]

Re: China - Millions of dead fish in Min river water

Low oxygen levels kill fish

Updated: 2011-09-06 13:22

(Xinhua)

FUZHOU - Local fishery authorities in East China's Fujian province said Tuesday a lack of oxygen caused the deaths of 15,500 tonnes of fish discovered in a major river.

A test showed that the amount of dissolved oxygen in a section of the Minjiang River flowing through Gutian county was an average of 1.2 milligrams per liter of water, which is only a quarter of what is needed for fish to survive, according to an investigation report released by the provincial department of oceans and fisheries.
...
The dead fish, all artificially bred in net cages, were found in the river in the townships of Shuikou and Huangtian in Gutian between August 28 and Sept 3, according to a spokesperson for the provincial department of oceans and fisheries.

Full text:
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2011-09/06/content_13631540.htm

 

[Pathfinder]

Re: China - Millions of dead fish in Min river water

French to English translation ( with Google)

CHINA - Published on: Tuesday, September 6, 2011 - Updated on: Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Fujian dead fish: the trail of a drug factory

According to the fishermen, 90% of farms in the Min River were destroyed.

Par St?phane Lagarde

China's Min River carries tens of thousands of dead fish since late August. The wrath of the fishermen, the authorities first mentioned a lack of oxygen due to storms and heavy rains that affected the southeast of the country. But now all eyes are on a pharmaceutical plant. A pipe connecting it directly to the river was discovered.

These are the ducks Shuikou that ultimately will come to refute the official. The village is among the most affected by the fish kill that has ravaged the province of Fujian. But last Sunday, the carp were not the only floating belly up in the air. A rancher testifies Tuesday on national radio: 70 of its water birds gathered on high and dry, black lungs and liver out of order.

For fishermen there is no doubt, this is not the lack of oxygen, but industrial pollution is concerned. The proof oxygen pumps installed by the authorities on the river for the past five days and five nights did not prevent wildlife from dying.

Fish buried in the mountains

Facing Taiwan, Fujian Province is famous for its mountains bathed in the stream. A Shuikou as Huangtian, the ballet of trucks increases the return trips at altitude to bury the dead fish become very fragrant. The New China News Agency has recognized this weekend loss bins 9000, three tons of fish for the two villages. Numbers well below the estimates of the population. Liu Shouxian and the agency says it has lost all of his breeding, two million of those fat carps who is famous Gutian County. Fishermen settled on the estuary and about 500 miles up the Min River produced 125 tons of fish sold daily on the surrounding markets.

Hence the anger expressed over the weekend by farmers who have lost everything. Over a thousand people blocked roads in the county last Saturday. The police intervened while the authorities announced that the first samples reported a "normal". The death of livestock is related to a lack of oxygen caused by the storms that hit the region.

Pollution repeated

But what are the paper mills and pharmaceutical companies who are now stigmatized by the fishermen. Some have even written to the local government to denounce one of these companies suspected of dumping their sewage directly into the bed of the "mother river", as dubbed the inhabitants of the region.

Inspectors from the environmental office of Fujian went up on September 4. Managers Gutian Fuxing Pharmaceutical Co began by denying the existence of this conduit connecting on a river before vowing to admit while it was not polluted runoff. Analyses are ongoing.

The provincial government, which fears overflows, announced on its side have released 10 million yuan, over one million euros compensation, in an attempt to appease local residents tired of repeating this pollution. Following torrential rains and acid waste a copper mine in July 2010, 1,890 tons of fish were found dead in the river Ting. The fishermen now believe that 90% of farms in the Min River were decimated, nearly 200 million yuan in lost revenue for the sector.

tags: China - Industry - Pollution

http://www.rfi.fr/asie-pacifique/20110906-poissons-morts-fujian-piste-une-usine-medicaments