BEIJING - China has invited experts from the United Nations to assess the chemical spill on the Songhua River that has threatened the health of millions of people in the country's northeast.
The team of four will come from several UN agencies, including the World Health Organisation and UN Development Programme, and will probably begin testing water along the river in the next few days, said Roy Wadia, a WHO spokesman in Beijing.
The international experts will assess the continued presence and effects of pollutants that poured into the Songhua River on Nov. 13, when a chemical plant in Jilin province exploded and poured 100 tonnes of benzene-based chemicals into the river.
"They will provide technical expertise in the areas of water contamination, chemical contamination, and the public health implications of such an incident," Wadia said on Wednesday.
Harbin, the capital of Heilongjiang province, turned off the taps of more than three million urban residents for five days until Sunday while waiting for the chemical slick to pass. Harbin opened the taps on Sunday but has told residents not to drink the water yet.
It was unclear why China sought UN involvement to assess the aftermath of the spill. Officials from the State Environmental Protection Administration, which invited the team, were unavailable for comment on Wednesday.
But China has faced international criticism for its initial handling of the spill, which officials kept from public attention, and it has apologised to Russia, where the chemicals will wash downstream along the Heilong River in two weeks. Russia calls the river the Amur.
On Wednesday, Health Minister Gao Qiang told reporters the chemical spill was a "major problem" and the government was organising a team of Chinese officials to monitor pollution along the Songhua River.
The team will include Russian experts, the official Xinhua news agency reported. China will also provide Russia with testing equipment, the China Daily reported.
"Our single goal is to ensure the public is supplied with safe, clean, hygienic drinking water," Gao told reporters.
REUTERS NEWS SERVICE
