Polluted water threatens Liuzhou City, China

Authorities in China have begun to more closely monitor the level of water safety after discovering the cadmium toxin downstream of the Liujiang River, caused by a mining company.

Cadmium is a metal with the symbol Cd, is relatively rare, soft, bluish white and toxic, often exists in zinc ores and is mainly used in the manufacture of batteries, paint, electroplating and toys. . If cadmium infection can lead to pneumonia, fever and kidney failure and even cancer.

The city's environmental protection department has discovered industrial waste upstream of Lieu Giang River. After 10 days of testing, they measured cadmium contamination on the river, about 60km from Liuzhou city, exceeding 5 times the permitted level, Xinhua reported.

"However, up to now, water quality tests (every 2 hours) show that the water downstream of the river still meets national standards and is safe to use , " said Gan Jinglin, environmental director of Liuzhou City said.

Local authorities have advised residents not to take water from the upstream of the river - which has been contaminated, and began searching for alternative sources of water, fearing that polluted waste could spread further.

This situation made people panic and rushed to buy bottled water in Liuzhou city because of fear of the source of the cancer-causing water.

"Sales of bottled water have increased more than three times in recent days. Some people have bought ten barrels of water to store for a while. However, the amount of water supplied in supermarkets in the city center, to serve. The people service is still very good , " a salesman said.