BEIJING — The release of millions of gallons of toxic liquid into a major city's water supply, China's biggest environmental accident in years, is shaping up as a wake-up call for a society that has made huge sacrifices for economic development.
On Thursday, the government defended its handling of the mid-November factory explosion that dumped 100 tons of benzene and other chemicals into northeastern China's Songhua River.
In a sign of the enormous political stakes, Premier Wen Jiabao ordered that every effort be made to supply the city of Harbin with safe drinking water. In China's rigid system, such senior leaders rarely address local problems.
The river is the major water source for most of the 9 million residents of the greater Harbin area. Taps have been shut off as the pollutants pass through the city, and panicked residents have stocked up on juice, milk, bottled water and instant noodles.
China also sought to reassure neighboring Russian communities around Khabarovsk, which along with many local Chinese residents criticized an initial information vacuum that forced many to rely on rumors. The Songhua River flows into the Heilong River, which is known as the Amur River when it enters Russia.
Hundreds of Chinese villagers were evacuated Thursday, and thousands of Harbin residents have fled to other parts of China, according to local media reports, waiting for the 50-mile toxic pool to pass.
The government alerted the public only after huge numbers of dead fish began to surface, 10 days after the Nov. 13 explosion.
Five people died in the initial factory accident, but there have been no deaths reported from the pollutants so far. Local hospitals have stockpiled antidotes to poisoning from benzene, a clear, colorless liquid derived from petroleum that has a sweet odor.
At one point, the river's nitrobenzene content was 103.6 times higher than normal. Virtually all Chinese rivers are polluted, to varying degrees.
Environmentalists warn that many of the problems caused by the accident could take years to show up, including birth defects and other long-term damage to people, plants and animals.
"The pollution released is very toxic and can cause cancer," said Mei Jiayong, an official with Greenpeace China. "Hopefully we'll be lucky this time. But this may be the tip of the iceberg for China's environment."
