You know you have an environmental problem when…
A) You have to import 5 million tons of freshwater
B) Your source of tap water is “dark as soy sauce”
Both of the above for Luohe, Henan province. Via Global Times:
Local residents say since Spring Festival (February 10) this year they have seen white muddy things in the water after it is boiled, and the water looks like soy milk, the Dahe Daily report said. On Monday, residents found the water in the river was dark, and reported it to the city’s environmental protection bureau.
After receiving complaints from local residents, Yang Guozhi, a deputy mayor of the city, held an emergency meeting on Monday, and decided to buy 5 million tons of water from the upstream Yanshan Reservoir that will be diverted into the river.
A senior official from the city’s environmental protection bureau told the Dahe Daily that water levels in the Lihe River are low at this time of year and an upstream reservoir has caused the river to almost dry up. “The temperature is high and the river water does not flow, which lowers the river’s water replacement and self-purification capacity. That is the major reason the water is dark.”
The cause is lots of groundwater, apparently. Gross.
River like ‘soy sauce’: residents (Global Times, h/t Alicia)
