China helps Russian city fight chemical slick

KHABAROVSK, Russia, Dec. 24 (Xinhuanet) -- China will provide an additional 1,000 tons of activated carbon to help Russia fight the chemical slick from China's Songhua River, the Chinese consul general in the Far Eastern city of Khabarovsk said on Saturday.

  China has already provided Russia with 150 tons of activated carbon and nine chromatographs for testing water samples and informed Russian officials of the trail of the chemical slick on a daily basis, Consul General Fan Xianrong told Xinhua.

A Chinese working group visited Moscow, Khabarovsk and the Jewish autonomous region on Dec. 9-12 to brief Russian officials on the status of the chemical slick and discuss cooperation in monitoring water quality, Fan said.

The chemical spill in the Songhua River was caused by a blast at a petrochemical plant early November in northeastern Jilin province. About 100 tons of benzene, a harmful chemical, are believed to have spewed into the river.

The toxic spill from the Songhua River reached Khabarovsk on Thursday and is expected to move out on Tuesday, Fan said.

Benzene levels in Khabarovsk's rivers have not exceeded the safety norm. Water supply in the city was not affected and residents did not stockpile on bottled water, Fan added