On May 23, a large number of dead fish appeared in the Nanjing Pukou section of the Chu River, a tributary of the Yangtze River. Reports suggest that the mass death of fish is related to a fire at a local company’s warehouse and the leakage of hazardous chemicals.
This incident, “Large Number of Dead Fish Found in Nanjing Section of the Chu River,” has attracted attention on the mainland. On the 23rd of this month, a significant number of fish died in the Nanjing Pukou section of the Chu River, a tributary of the Yangtze River.
Images circulating online show severe pollution in the Nanjing Pukou section of the Chu River, with foul-smelling water and a large number of dead fish and shrimp.
According to the Jiangsu Radio and Television Integrated Media News Center, the Chu River originates in Anhui Province and flows into the Yangtze River through Nanjing. Local residents suggest that the pollution may be related to upstream water sources.
The Yangzi Evening News reported on the 23rd that significant pollution and dead fish were found in the rivers upstream in Anhui when traced back from Nanjing Pukou against the flow of sewage. However, when reaching the floodgate at Huangcaosan Weir in Quanjiao County, Anhui, no pollution or dead fish were found, indicating that the source of pollution is likely downstream in Anhui.
The report states that the dead fish incident was caused by the deterioration of water quality due to drainage from the upstream rivers, leading to dead fish accumulating in the Nanjing Pukou section of the Chu River.
Local authorities have announced that, after monitoring the pollution source, ChuZhou Fuxin Petroleum Additive Co., Ltd. in Quanjiao Economic Development Zone is the primary source of pollution.
CCTV News reported that on the evening of May 7th at 7:56 p.m., a fire broke out in the warehouse of ChuZhou Fuxin Petroleum Additive Co., Ltd., causing some glycerol, treacle, and firefighting wastewater to flow into nearby ditches and pipelines through surface runoff. Residual waste and sewage that have not been cleaned up yet flowed into the Xiang River and Chu River through rainwater runoff, causing pollution and decreased dissolved oxygen levels, ultimately resulting in the death of fish and shrimp in the river.
Authorities from Quanjiao County, Chuzhou, Anhui, stated that the sewage from the company’s warehouse flowed into the development zone drainage channel through the ditch next to the warehouse, passing through the Hua garden Reservoir, Tubaixi River, Xiang River and finally entering the Chu River.