Local moves to protect water resources

THE Shanghai Maritime Administration has said it will set up protection zones near water resources that are under threat from the busy water traffic around them.

The maritime supervisor has been closely monitoring water conditions as traffic gets busier in both the Huangpu River and at the mouth of the Yangtze River.

Fan Yaxiang, a member of the city's top advisory body, said the government should "support building a professional force to handle accidents like chemical leaks."

Fan said that some water resources are located close to traffic channels and "any fuel or chemical leak will jeopardize water safety."

Maritime officials said the city has not yet set up a professional emergency-response team to handle rescue during chemical-related accidents on the waters.

It may be recalled that in June, a Netherlands-flagged cargo vessel spilled more than 100 tons of fuel in the sea waters off Shanghai after a collision with a Chinese ship, officials said.

The leak did not cause damage to the Qingcaosha Reservoir, Shanghai's major drinking water source, at the mouth of the Yangtze, but contaminated the water in the Nanhui area and Hangzhou Bay.

Email Story    Printable View    Blog Story    Copy Headline/URL