China loses credibility with lies on chemical spill
In the south-west, meanwhile, thousands fled the area of another industrial accident for fear of a second toxic leak.
A 80-kilometre stretch of cancer-causing benzene was slowly winding its way down the Songhua River through Harbin, in China's frigid north-east. Authorities estimate that 100 tons of pollutants were released into the river following a November 13 chemical plant explosion upstream.
Officials kept news of the spill secret for days and initially said they were shutting off water merely for maintenance.
A team of investigators left for Harbin, and those responsible for the spill were expected to be disciplined, the official Xinhua News Agency said.
"Punishments of irresponsible acts are on the way," Xinhua said in a report aimed at easing growing concerns that officials have not done enough to address the crisis.
The missteps in Harbin are further straining the credibility of a government grappling with spreading bird flu outbreaks and rising public anger over corruption.
"If information is not given in a timely, accurate and transparent manner, it will leave room for rumours to spread," said a column printed in the China Youth Daily newspaper.
Other papers quoted experts as questioning the government's response, asking how the pollutants reached the river and complaining about the lack of backup water resources and plans for handling such emergencies.
One paper called on Beijing to learn a lesson from its outbreak of SARS, which emerged in late 2002. The government was initially criticised for withholding information about the pneumonia-like disease.
China has not responded to a UN request made earlier this week for information about the spill or an offer to help assess the environmental damage, said Vladimir Sakharov, who heads the Geneva-based Environmental Emergencies Section.
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