Cadmium pollution sparks panic buying of bottled water in S. China(1/3)

Firefighters work to put in chemicals made from dissolved aluminum chloride to neutralize the polluted Longjiang River in Hechi City, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Jan. 26, 2012. Eighty tonnes of aluminum chloride, a neutralizing agent, has been put into the river to eliminate the health risk since excessive cadmium levels was detected in the Hechi section of the Longjiang River on Jan. 15. The incident sparked panic buying of bottled water in Liuzhou, a city that lies at the lower reaches of the river, over the past few days. However, city authorities have taken proper control of the situation by publishing real-time water sample test results via local media and ensuring the supply of bottled water at controlled prices. (Xinhua/Huang Xiaobang)