Counties spar over source of pollution

Two counties in Anhui Province are fighting over a river they share, with officials from the downstream county claiming polluted water from the upstream county is killing their fish, while officials upstream warn that if gates to a dam are not reopened soon their crops will be flooded.

Fishers from the downstream county of Wuhe county said their fish started dying in early March and blame polluted water flowing from Sixian county.

The gates of Caogou Dam, which is situated on the border of Sixian and Wuhe have been closed for two weeks.

The river is named Tanghe as it flows through Sixian but it becomes the Beituo River after it flows into Wuhe.

Lu Chaoyong, a villager from Shenji township of Wuhe county, was quoted by local media as saying that for the last month he saw black water in the lake into which the river flows.

A water quality monitoring official surnamed Wang with the Wuhe environmental protection bureau told the Global Times Tuesday that excessive levels of ammonia nitrogen and low oxygen levels had been detected in the river water from upstream.

"Water quality has improved since we negotiated with Sixian to shut the gates to the dam two weeks ago," said Wang, adding that he didn't know when the gates might be reopened.

An official with the Sixian environmental protection bureau said his county isn't the source of pollution as there are no upstream industries discharging pollution into the river.

A press officer from the Wuhe county government told the Global Times that the provincial environmental department is now investigating in an attempt to break the impasse between the two counties.

Meanwhile, water levels in Sixian county have risen to the edge of the levee and if the gates are not reopened soon Caogou township could be flooded.

"It's urgent that the gates be lifted soon so we can finish dredging the waterway before there is a flood," an official with the water resources bureau in Sixian told the Hefei-based news portal anhuinews.com.

Officials with Caogou township confirmed to the Global Times Tuesday that negotiations to resolve the dispute are ongoing but refused to comment on whether the river is being polluted or the potential for flooding.

A fisher surnamed Sun from Shenji told the Global Times Tuesday that not a lot of fish have died.

"But I dare not release more fish fry this month because of the low oxygen level in the water. The season will soon be finished and it will cost me a lot," Sun said.