The State environment watchdog said on May 6 that pollution levels in the Songhua and Heilong rivers did not rise during the spring after ice thawed.

The two rivers were heavily polluted with benzene-related chemicals last November after a serious blast at an upstream chemical plant in Jilin.

The chemicals remained at a safe level in Songhua River in Northeast China and Heilong River, bordering Russia, during the spring thawing period, according to the State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA). 

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