About 700 tons of liquid alkali had to be dumped into a section
of China's Grand Canal to neutralize 200 tons of concentrated
sulfuric acid which leaked from a ship in east China's Zhejiang Province, local environmental sources
said Friday.
Water quality in the polluted areas is improving but has still
not reached normal standards, said Shen Liyue, an official with the
Environmental Protection Bureau of Yuhang District of Hangzhou, the
provincial capital.
The leakage occurred early Thursday morning when a ship carrying
200 tons of concentrated sulfuric acid ran aground in the Yuhang
section of the canal, a waterway linking Beijing with Hangzhou
built in the 10th century.
Navigation along the Yuhang section and the upper reaches of the
river was temporarily banned but resumed late Thursday
afternoon.
The ship, two thirds of which sank under the water, was removed
from the river on Friday.
The district said it had informed water users along the section
about the leakage accident to ensure it does not harm people's
lives.
Environmental officials are monitoring water quality
continuously near the leakage site.
The neutralization work is still underway at press time.
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Local authorities are considering diverting water from a nearby
river to dilute water at the leakage area, according to Shen.
The total length of the canal is 1794 kilometers. The navigable
sections, mainly between Jining City of Shandong Province and Zhejiang, stretch for
about 1,000 kilometers.
(Xinhua News Agency August 5, 2006)