The publicity department of Cangxian county, Hebei Province Saturday confirmed the dismissal of the head of local environmental protection bureau after the official's inappropriate comment on local water pollution triggered widespread outrage.
After wells in a village of the county turned red and there were mass die-offs of local poultry, Deng Lianjun, the official, told China Central Television earlier this week that the color did not prove pollution as "the water will also turn red if you boil red beans."
The publicity department also said that a comprehensive plan has been activated to control water pollution around Xiaozhuzhuang village, starting with water quality test and temporary shutdowns of chemical plants near the area.
Villagers blame the Jianxin Chemical Plant near the village for discharging pollutants into the groundwater and provided results of independent tests, which showed a poisonous oily water-soluble liquid.
A staffer at Jianxin told the Global Times Saturday that production at the plant in Xiaozhuzhuang has been halted since late 2011 and its facility passed yearly examinations from local environmental authorities without difficulty.
According to Xinhua, the shallow local groundwater began to turn red in 2002.
A villager in Xiaozhuzhuang surnamed Meng told the Global Times that the Jianxin plant has been opened for more than 20 years and had a toxic gas leak in 2011.
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