The meteorological department in Changchun, capital of northeast
China's Jilin Province, has fired rockets into the air
above a reservoir choked by blue-green algae to create artificial
rain in an effort to curb the latest algae outbreak.
The city government has set aside ten million yuan to combat an
outbreak of blue-green algae in Xinlicheng reservoir that provides
water to the city, a government spokesman announced on
Wednesday.
Swathes of blue and green algae began to appear last Wednesday
in Xinlicheng Reservoir, one of the city's major water sources for
100,000 residents.
On Tuesday, the water supply from both Xinlicheng and
Shitoukoumen Reservoir was cut off. The supply from Xinlicheng has
been shut off indefinitely but the local environmental authorities
ruled that Shitoukoumen had not been affected.
Changchun used 770,000 tons of water per day before the outbreak
of blue algae but the daily supply has plunged by 50,000 tons since
the Xinlicheng reservoir water source was cut.
Changchun mayor Cui Jie said the ten million yuan would be spent
on expanding pipes linking the city to the reservoir of
Shitoukoumen, and transporting water with fire engines.
"We must do our best to ensure the drinking water supply for our
citizens," said Cui, adding that he was considering closing car
washes.
Recent outbreaks of blue-green algae in key lakes in eastern and
southwestern China are mainly attributed to pollutants from
chemical factories, but this time the finger is being pointed at
agricultural fertilizers.
The algae may have been caused by fertilizers and pesticides
from nearby cropland, local authorities say.
High temperatures and scant rainfall since June also contributed
to the algae bloom and recent downpours have nourished the
algae.
Changchun is home to a population of more than seven million,
with 2.7 million living in the downtown area. The reservoir has a
water storage capacity of 592 million cubic meters.
In the last two months, blue-green algae outbreaks have been
reported in Taihu Lake, Chaohu Lake and the southwestern Dianchi
Lake, endangering water supplies.
On July 4, water supplies to 200,000 people in Shuyang county,
Jiangsu Province, were halted for more than 40 hours after ammonia
and nitrogen were found in a local river.
(Xinhua News Agency July 19, 2007)