In Xu Zhou, Jiangsu Province, several sheep byproduct processing workshops in Xintou Village, Wutai Administrative Village, Zizhuang Town, Jiawang District, have been illegally discharging pollutants year-round, causing serious pollution to the water in ditches along the 12-kilometer-long Nonggu Avenue, which poses a severe threat to agricultural irrigation and the lives of local residents. However, despite numerous complaints from villagers over the years, the issue has not been resolved.
The Nonggu Avenue in Jiawang District, as reported by “Focus Interview” and CCTV News, is an important rural road that runs through the modern agricultural industrial park in Jiawang. Crops such as garlic and greenhouse strawberries are grown on both sides of the road, serving as a significant source of income for local farmers. Currently, during the crucial period of field management, the ditches along the 12-kilometer-long Nonggu Avenue are filled with black and foul-smelling sewage, which not only affects irrigation but also has a severe impact on the lives of surrounding villagers.
Villagers revealed that the sewage originates from Xintou Village in Wutai Administrative Village, Zizhuang Town, where some households have been processing sheep byproducts for over a decade. Despite multiple complaints from the villagers, no actions have been taken to address the issue.
According to the water sample test results from the ditch, indicators such as COD (Chemical Oxygen Demand) and ammonia nitrogen exceed the surface water environmental quality standard by about 70 times, categorizing it as class V water, the lowest quality level. Experts have pointed out that industrial wastewater discharge like this can have serious consequences on the atmosphere, soil, groundwater, and more.
After the incident was exposed, a special investigative team was finally established in Xu Zhou to address the businesses suspected of illegal discharge of pollutants.
It has been reported that the relevant authorities have identified several workshops without any environmental protection procedures in place, uncovering illegal discharge activities. Inside one of the sheep’s trotters processing workshops, there were nearly hundreds of barrels of hydrogen peroxide, with over 60 barrels having been used and more than 30 barrels remaining unused. There was even a large barrel on-site where sheep’s trotters were being soaked and processed in a mixture of caustic soda and hydrogen peroxide. Once these chemical solutions were used, they were directly discharged into the farmland drainage ditches.
The purchasing records of the workshop’s owner show that in the past two years, approximately 170,000 yuan worth of hydrogen peroxide, equivalent to around 140 tons, and about 320,000 yuan worth of caustic soda, around 100 tons, were purchased. In addition, 3.5 tons of finished sheep’s trotters were found at the scene.
Currently, the involved storage refrigerators have been sealed off. Local authorities have also started pumping and transporting 68 tons of wastewater from the contaminated water bodies.