国内英语新闻:Irrational layouts of chemical factories blamed for life-threatening accidents in China

The two chemical companies the barrels were swept from are located at an economic and technical development zone of Jilin's Yongji County in the upper reaches of the Songhua River. The two firms are among the thousands of chemical factories that have been built in the upper reaches of rivers or surrounded by residential areas.

"Chemical factories located near waters or populated regions are quite dangerous. They will severely damage the ecology if any accident occurs," said Zheng Husheng, a researcher at Jilin Academy of Social Studies.

Figures released in 2006 indicate that 81 percent of more than 7,000 chemical and petroleum industry sites have been built near rivers or populated areas.

Along the Songhua River alone there are 157 factories that discharge heavy metals or organic pollutants such as mercury, cadmium and hexavalent chromium, according to the Water Pollution Control Plan of Songhua River (2006-2010) approved by the central government in 2006.

The chemical barrel case is not the first such accident for the Songhua River.

In November, 2005, an explosion at a chemical factory in Jilin Province contaminated the waters of the Songhua River, leaving 3.7 million residents in the lower reaches of Harbin, capital of Heilongjiang Province, without drinking water for four days.

Also, in August 2006 a chemical company illegally dumped chemicals into a tributary of the Songhua River, threatening the safety of drinking water for numerous local residents.

Although cities like Harbin and Jiamusi have turned to other water sources to avoid similar dangers, the "time bombs" are still there, waiting to explode sometime.

"With the rapid development of China's economy, China will be threatened by the environmental risks because of irrational layouts for a long time," Wang Yuqing, former deputy director of the State Environment Protection Administration, predicted in 2005.