Chinese town shuts down water as toxic slick arrives

Another town on a poisoned Chinese river shut down its water system today as a toxic slick caused by a chemical plant explosion arrived.

The country’s health minister warned the spill was still a major problem.

Running water to about 26,000 people in Dalianhe, on the Songhua River in China’s north-east, was cut off, said an employee of the government office of Yilan County, where Dalianhe is located.

“It will last three days,” said the employee, who would give only his surname, Gu.

The slick arrived a day after Harbin, a major city upstream, declared its tap water safe to drink again.

Its 3.8 million people had endured five days without running water as the slick of benzene and other toxic chemicals passed.

But Health Minister Gao Qiang warned against complacency, saying the spill is still a “major problem”.