Following last week’s post on contamination of the water supply for the city of Yancheng, China, state-run media Xinhua News has released an update on the news item.
According to a government circular cited in the Xinhua article, seven officials responsible for water supervision have been punished and two have been removed from office for lacking oversight. The Mayor of the city has pledged to close over 10% of the city’s 317 chemical plants, on account of their proximity to a water source.
No additional information was released on whether any residents experienced poisoning as a result of the incident, or if there was any damage to the nearby wetland reserve.
For those who take little solace in yet another case of environmental negligence or political misconduct in China that results in a score of officials being excused from their jobs (in lieu of a hyperlink, try a google search for “Chinese official sacked”), there is a silver lining yet. The city has offered residents a month of free water to compensate for the inconveniene experienced by the temporary shut off. Pack your bags and head to Yancheng!
