Wastewater Leakage at Heilongjiang Molybdenum Mine... Contamination of Drinking Water Source

Photo: Weibo capture

[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Park Sun-mi] A wastewater leakage incident occurred at the Molybdenum mine in Yichun City, Heilongjiang Province, China, contaminating a nearby water source.

According to Xinhua News Agency and Weibo on the 31st, at 1:40 PM on the 28th, a wastewater storage facility at the Molybdenum mine operated by Yichun Luming Mining tilted, causing wastewater to leak. Approximately 2.53 million cubic meters of wastewater flowed about 3 km into a river with a nearby water source.

Photos of the river filled with grayish water and dead fish have been posted on Weibo. Local authorities stated that they installed a wastewater barrier downstream of the river where the wastewater flowed to block its flow and carried out pollutant removal operations by applying activated carbon and other materials.