Recently, a large number of fish in the section of Nanjing Pukou in the Chuh River, a tributary of the Yangtze River, died due to the leakage of hazardous chemicals from a company in Quanjiao County, Anhui Province. However, Dou Ping, the director of the Ecological Environment Division of Quanjiao County, claimed that there was no need to test the water quality of the Chuh River, saying, “People can die from drinking Maotai, should we do a toxicity analysis on Maotai?” Under public pressure, several local officials have reportedly been dismissed.
On May 29, the news of Dou Ping being dismissed as the director of the Ecological Environment Division of Quanjiao County made it to the hot search list on social media platforms in mainland China. The Anhui joint investigation team announced that the main responsible person of Quanjiao County has been dismissed and investigations are being conducted on relevant personnel.
The official website of the Ecological Environment Division of Quanjiao County in Chuzhou City updated the information in the “Organizational Leadership” section on the morning of the 29th, showing that the resume of Dou Ping, the director of the division, has been removed. In the afternoon, Quanjiao County announced the dismissal of Dou Ping from his positions as the Party Secretary and Director of the Ecological Environment Division of Quanjiao County, as well as the dismissal of Yang Jun as a member of the Party Committee of the County Water Resources Bureau, and the dismissal of Yang Renyi as the director of the office of the Ecological Environment Division of Quanjiao County.
Dou Ping was previously in charge of the Ecological Environment Division of Quanjiao County in Chuzhou City. His dismissal is related to the recent mass death of fish in the section of Nanjing Pukou in the Chuh River.
On May 23, a large number of fish died in the Nanjing Pukou section of the Chuh River, with the water quality becoming polluted. Local residents mentioned that the pollution may be related to the upstream water source. According to reports on the 23rd by the Yangzi Evening News, there were large amounts of sewage and dead fish in the waterways upstream in Anhui, while during an inspection at the Huangcao Sanwei floodgate in Quanjiao County, Anhui, no sewage or dead fish were found. It was determined that the source of the pollution was likely downstream within Anhui.
Through monitoring and tracing the source, it was found that the Chuzhou Fuxin Petroleum Additive Co., Ltd. in Quanjiao Economic Development Zone was the main source of pollution. A fire broke out in the warehouse of the company on the evening of May 7th, with some glycerin, treacle, and firefighting wastewater flowing into nearby ditches and pipelines through surface runoff. The remaining residues and sewage that had not been cleaned up yet flowed into the Xiang River and Chuh River through rainwater runoff, causing the water in the relevant sections of the river to become black and smelly, leading to a decrease in dissolved oxygen and the deaths of fish and shrimps.
When interviewed by CCTV reporters on site, Dou Ping, the director of the Ecological Environment Division of Quanjiao County in Chuzhou City, only responded based on his experience saying: “No problem,” and claimed that there was “no need” to conduct water quality tests, stating, “I think there is no need to test the water used for firefighting,” and added, “People can die from drinking Maotai. Do we need to do toxicological analyses on Maotai after someone dies from drinking it? I think it is not necessary.”
Yang Jun, a member of the Party Committee of the County Water Resources Bureau of Quanjiao County, said in an interview: “I am telling the truth, I will retire in two months. I should not be involved in such matters too much.”
Despite complaints being raised by residents through the Chuzhou city’s 12345 hotline, Yang Renyi, the director of the office of the Ecological Environment Division of Quanjiao County, claimed that he had never received any complaints, saying, “I am not very clear about that.”
The officials’ responses have sparked online attention, and under public pressure, Anhui authorities have established an investigation team.
Netizens commented: “Accountability must be pursued, strict investigation and punishment.” “Comprehensive investigation.” “Just finished drinking at noon, can’t think of any other examples at the moment!” “Also, please check the Maotai in the basement at home, thank you.” “Those who can say such things must have drunk Maotai quite often. Investigate thoroughly.”