Recently, in Nanxiang County, Henan Province, several villagers revealed that after irrigating the farmland using the village group well water last month, a large area of crops turned yellow and withered, leading the villagers to suspect an issue with the water quality.
According to Jiemu News, with the ongoing drought this spring, to cope with the dry conditions, on May 1st, a village group in Dong Wangying Village, Tuandong Town, Nanxiang County, organized the use of well water to irrigate the fields. However, several days later, they found the vegetable and corn seedlings in the fields turning yellow and dying. The villagers suspected a water quality problem and reported the issue to the local government.
After sampling and testing the well water, the environmental protection department stated that over ten indicators of the well water met the standards. The agricultural department, after on-site inspection, also confirmed that there were no issues with the seeds, fertilizers, and other materials.
Subsequently, the production group dried up the well water, dug deeper, and organized a second round of irrigation on May 16th. The areas that were not irrigated before also received the irrigation, but the crops that were watered again still showed signs of turning yellow and dying.
A villager, using the alias Gu Qiang, mentioned that in the neighboring group, Li San Zu, just a foot away from their fields, they used their own well water for irrigation without any issues. Although officials claimed the water quality met the standards, villagers still had doubts.
As explained by another villager, using the alias Lin Weiguo, Li San Zu has over 40 households and nearly 20 mu of vegetable fields. Years ago, to irrigate the farmland, the villagers dug a well in the middle of the plot. For decades, the land irrigation within the group relied on this well as the water source.
In response to this, a staff member from the environmental protection department of Nanxiang County stated that they had sampled and tested the well water, which met the relevant standards, ruling out any pollution of the water quality by surrounding enterprises.
A village cadre from Wangying Village stated that water quality assessments were conducted twice, confirming that there were no issues with the water quality. The cadre also claimed that the crop deaths were due to drought and high temperatures, stating, “They watered the fields at noon, under the scorching sun, causing immediate evaporation, which resulted in the corn seedlings being steamed to death. The situation has since improved.”
However, as the villagers stated, irrigation using the well water is done by pumping water and taking turns watering each household throughout the day, including at noon, afternoon, and evening. Regardless of the timing of watering, the same situation occurred: “The more water, the quicker the crops die.”
Gu Qiang, the villager, further mentioned that many withered corn plants have been cut down, replanted with green beans, but they are afraid to use well water for irrigation again.
On June 7th, Nanxiang County issued a notice stating that the reported irrigation wells have been sealed, and a third-party testing company will conduct further examinations. They will also investigate the use of seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, and other substances on the implicated plots.