China getting US help with toxic spill
(AP)
Updated: 2005-12-07 15:20

In the first details about what is expected to be the disaster's huge economic impact, a news report said the government of Harbin is borrowing 640 million yuan (US$79 million) to pay for recovery efforts.

The report by the state-run Web site Northeast Net didn't say what the money would be used for.

Harbin and other communities on the river brought in tanker trucks to supply residents with drinking water. The government hasn't said whether businesses, farmers and fishermen might receive compensation.

On Friday, Jiamusi shut down three of the seven wells that feed its main water plant, saying they were close to the river and that it wanted to avoid contamination.

The city's new Jiangbei Water Source, built at a cost of 230 million yuan (US$28 million), is capable of producing 100 million liters (26 million gallons) of water per day, the local newspaper Jiamusi Daily said.

It was rushed into operation because of the chemical spill, and the government at one point had 1,500 people working around the clock to complete construction, the newspaper said.

"We're ready. Control and prevention work has entered a critical stage," said Mayor Li Haitao, quoted by Xinhua. "We'll do whatever we can to ensure drinking water safety and maintain normal, stable social order in urban as well as rural areas," he said.

Daily output at Jiamusi's main water plant has fallen from 130 million liters (34 million gallons) to 20-30 million liters (5-8 million gallons), said Wang Li, its deputy general manager.

Wang said the plant supplied up to 80 percent of the city's running water, serving some 600,000 people in Jiamusi and surrounding areas.

"It will be hard for the contamination to get into the ground water, but we will keep testing," Wang said.