Workers retrieve the carcasses of pigs from a branch of
Huangpu River in Shanghai. REUTERS/Stringer
More than 2200 pigs have been found dead in one of
Shanghai's main water sources, official media reported,
triggering a public outcry in China where concerns over food
safety and environmental pollution run high.
The carcasses were probably dumped in the Huangpu river in
Zhejiang province and the total number was expected to
increase, the Global Times quoted Xu Rong, director of
Shanghai Songjiang District Environmental Protection Bureau,
as saying.
"We have to act quickly to remove them all for fear of
causing water pollution," she was quoted as saying as the
national parliament, where pollution has been a hot topic,
met in Beijing.
Officials were investigating, media said.
An official at the Songjiang environment bureau declined to
comment when contacted by Reuters.
The Shanghai government said in a statement posted on its
website on Monday that workers were continuing to collect
carcasses from the river and it was closely monitoring the
water quality although no pollution has been found so far.
Water contamination, caused by fertiliser run-off, chemical
spills and untreated sewage, is a major concern in China. The
government is planning to invest $850 billion over the next
decade to improve the water supply system.
The discovery of the dead pigs over the weekend quickly made
the rounds in social media, with many bloggers criticizing
the authorities for their delayed response.
"Related government departments should seriously investigate
this and get to the bottom of it," said one blogger by the
name of Ting Tao. "The government should really pay attention
to people's lives and take no time to solve food safety
issues."
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