China`s Huaihe River faces environmental devastation
The Huaihe River in China, one of the country's longest, is close to becoming dangerously polluted, according to the State Administration of Environmental Protection (SAEP). The agency has taken steps to order 100 polluting firms in east and Central China to cut or stop production to try and prevent an environmental catastrophe.
The authorities in Henan, Shandong and Anhui provinces along the river have reported that 48 polluting paper making, leather processing and wine plants have already ceased operation as required and waste water treatment plants have been operating at full capacity.
The problem is that flood waters are pushing large quantities of industrial waste water and domestic sewage downstream. More than 100 million people live in the Huaihe River valley and environmental officials have warned that the supply of drinking water could be affected in Huainan and Bangbu cities in Anhui Province.
