China treats polluted water in blast site with alkaline substances

Alkaline substances were poured onto the site of a deadly blast in east China's Jiangsu Province to neutralize the polluted water, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment said Friday.

Aerial view of a chemical plant where a deadly blast killed 78 people and wounded hundreds in Yancheng, Jiangsu Province [File photo: IC]

After neutralization, the wastewater was transported through pipelines to a local sewage treatment plant for temporary storage.

The priority for emergency response following an explosion at an industrial park on March 21 is wastewater disposal, said an official with the ministry.

Authorities have adopted different measures to treat the polluted water in accordance with the severity of pollution.

The ministry has sent over 50 experts in environmental monitoring and treatment of water, solid waste and soil to help solve the pollution.

Jiangsu Province has set up six air monitoring points and 14 water quality monitoring sections around the site, which have released over 9,000 statistics.

The deadly explosion happened at about 2:48 p.m. last Thursday, following a fire that broke out in a plant owned by Jiangsu Tianjiayi Chemical Co. in a chemical park in Xiangshui County, in the city of Yancheng.

The explosion killed 78 people and wounded hundreds as of Monday afternoon.