Pollution Turns Chinese River System Red

[DeepModem Mom]

Source: NYT/AP

BEIJING (AP) -- Pollution turned part of a major river system in central China red and foamy, forcing authorities to cut water supplies to as many as 200,000 people, the provincial government and a state news agency said Wednesday.

Some communities along tributaries of the Han River -- a branch of the Yangtze -- in Hubei province were using emergency water supplies, while at least 60,000 people were relying on bottled water and limited underground sources, Xinhua News Agency reported....

The pollution was discovered Sunday when water plant workers from Jianli County found that the Dongjing River, a tributary of the Han, had turned red and foamy, the Hubei Web site said. Water plants along the river suspended intake and cut tap water to as many as 120,000 people, according to reports on the site. Xinhua said 200,000 people were without water.

Tests showed the polluted waters contained elevated levels of ammonia, nitrogen, and permanganate, a chemical used in metal cleaning, tanning and bleaching, Xinhua said. The pollution apparently flowed down from the Han River, the Hubei government said without elaborating on its source. Water from nearby Lake Chang was being diverted to dilute the pollution.

Most of China's canals, rivers and lakes are severely tainted by industrial, agricultural and household pollution. Chinese leaders say the country faces a critical water shortage, partly due to chronic pollution and chemical accidents....

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/world/AP-China-Polluted-River.html?_r=1&oref=login

[SpiralHawk]

1. "That color will go very nicely with the Yellow River. Smirk." - Commander AWOL

[MarkR1717]

14. Yeah, Shrub did it...

... turned the yellow River Yellow, and the other one...What color was it?

[RedEarth]

2. I read an article a year or so ago and it mentioned the rice growing

in the fields next to some of the polluted streams were taking on the color of the pollution...red in one case, orange in another. Needless to say, the people drinking it were getting sick, but they had no other source for water. .... the horrors of becoming an industrialized country.......

[kirby]

3. Fitting for Red China n/t

[Up2Late]

4. Sounds like one of the stories my Mother told me about the river in Lawrence, Mass. in the 1930s

She said, as a kid, they would run to the bridge, most days, to see what color the river was that day (lots of Woolen Mills in Lawrence, Mass. back then, and they would dump massive amounts of dye into the river).

[lovuian]

5. this is in Revelations rivers and springs turn to blood

China reaps what it sows soon the Wars will be fought over Water and Food

[Deja Q]

10. Pollution does not mean blood. Still, let's have some fun:

6:2 And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.
----------

If horse = house, that means "White House".
===========================================


6:4 And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword.
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Red House = Communist China.
===========================================


6:8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.
----------

This horse ate some undercooked fried chicken (at the Olive Garden), and that's why he became pale. Can't think of a "Pale House", except for a bunch of trite WW2, anti-French jokes... Besides, I don't know of anybody training tigers to kill...
===========================================


6:10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?
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That's the studio audience going "JERRY!!! JERRY!!!"
===========================================


6:11 And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.
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When's the last time you had a physical at the doctor's office? They make ya wear a white robe...
===========================================

6:12 And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood;
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Well, we had a lunar eclipse (looked blood red) and the UK had an earthquake... as it's not the year 4 billion, the sun hasn't gone supernova yet...
===========================================


6:13 And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.
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Uh-oh. It's been said this years' Oscars show on tv was the lowest-rated ever...
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6:14 And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.
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Is that the earthquake? Or did she shook me all night long, man do I hate that song?
===========================================



Now I still feel freaked out; I thought the same thing too when first reading. But pollution from iron and other chemicals is not a mass splurge of hemoglobin.

Indeed:

8:8 And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood;

Could that be lava flowing out of a large volcano? Or Roseanne during "Aunt Flo's visit"? :shrug:

[DeepModem Mom]

13. HypnoToad, thou art a prophet -- well done!!! nt

[The Stranger]

6. China is obliterating its environment, mortgaging it for newfound, temporary wealth.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

7. That color should go nicely

with the rowers and swimmers in the olympics.

[brentspeak]

8. Same water now being used to make Hersheys chocolate?

Now that Hersheys moved their facilities over to China?

:barf:

[jdadd]

9. Cheap export of bottled water....

Prolly newest product at wallmart

[fujiyama]

11. They're industrializing and at an extremely fast rate

which has afforded many greater economic opportunities - but at what price?

But in the long run, much of this environmental destruction is irreversible. The main problem is not that China (and India and other developing nations for that matter) are industrializing. It's that the world is simply running out of resources. These countries have a point that the West all went through the same growing pains during the industrial revolution, including environmental calamities, but the world is facing a different set of problems now. Considering the populations of these nations (several times larger than the entire population of Western Europe and the US at the time of industrialization) and threats of global warming, they can't afford to make the mistakes the West made along the way. At the same time, our own arrogance is in believing we can continue to consume at the rate we're at, while being surprised at their own problems they are facing.

This won't be pretty. I expect to see increased rates of cancer, birth defects, and other ailments due to the terrible air quality and the decreasing supply of clean drinking water. I was in India recently and the air quality was terrible. I can only imagine how bad it is in China, which is much worse. Many are already saying that China is an ecological disaster.

[DainBramaged]

12. The price we all pay for cheap goods

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=367&topic_id=7911&mesg_id=7911


And we import Tilapia from them!


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/main.jhtml?xml=/earth/2007/07/04/eachina104.xml

[The Croquist]

15. Yet another reason to stop importing their crap

Buy American if you can find it. If not do without.

[DainBramaged]

16. I am proudly wearing my Union made American made jeans today

The first pair in nearly 20 years that I found available. The last pair was a pair of Levis before they moved out of the country. I will buy more. http://www.unionhouse.com

[LibertyLover]

17. My daughter is adopted from China

and came from Hubei province. When we were in Wuhan, the provincial capital, four years ago to get her and complete the Chinese adoption formalities, we were shocked and dismayed at the pollution. There were days in Wuhan when the smog was so bad that you couldn't see the buildings 2 blocks away clearly. We were told to only drank bottled water, juices or sodas and to make sure that we were the ones breaking the seal on the bottles. We were also asked not to take long showers or to let the children drink bath water.

[DainBramaged]

18. Thank you for getting her out, you are heroes.

The most precious gift you could have given, the most honorable think to do in one's life.

What a great story. May she grow up to be worthy of her parents love, and as proud of them as they must be of her.

[LibertyLover]

19. You are too kind

We are just 2 people who wanted a child to love and got very lucky.

[CRF450]

20. And they say the environment here in the states is bad...

Well guess again:P