(May 22, 2002) Twenty business owners from Harbin are planning to sue the state-owned chemical company blamed for poisoning the city’s water supply.

(Excerpt)

Businessmen from the Chinese city of Harbin are planning to sue the state-owned chemical company blamed for poisoning the water supply. Water to the city was cut off last month after an explosion at the plant allowed 100 tonnes of benzene to spill into the Songhua river. The businessmen’s lawyer told the BBC pollution would be a long-term problem. Hu Fengbin said the group wanted the firm to clean the river and to compensate them for loss of business. “This pollution will not go away with the flow of the water because the chemical will be deposited on the river bed,” Mr Hu told the BBC. “The chemical won’t disappear for several years. The chemical won’t easily be broken down so the damage will be long-term. “The compensation is not the most important thing. The most important thing is that from now on the water we drink is clean water. Whatever you provide – money or other resources – you must make the water clean.”

BBC News Online, May 22, 2002