Two companies placed under investigation for illegally dumping solid waste into Yangtze River

Two companies have been placed under investigation for illegally dumping solid waste into the Yangtze River near Tianxingzhou island in Wuhan, Hubei province, and 11 people responsible for the case have been held accountable, Xinhua News Agency reported on Friday.

Environmental authorities have ordered Qingshan Shipyard and Fujian Lugang Group to stop the illegal activity and take measures to eliminate pollution.

These companies face proposed fines of 415,000 yuan ($62,000) and 442,000 yuan, respectively, and will be held liable for compensation for ecological and environmental damage. Maritime authorities have ordered the owners of the involved vessels to halt operations immediately, with proposed fines of 50,000 yuan and 100,000 yuan.

According to the findings of a joint investigation team from Hubei province and Wuhan city, the dumped material was sludge from waterway dredging, which has polluting properties.

However, tests of underwater sludge at six locations and black mud from the vessels showed heavy metal levels below standard limits, meaning it does not qualify as hazardous waste. Due to its high organic content, the sludge creates dark brown streaks on the river surface after being dumped.

Water quality monitoring from Sept 7 to 10 at 11 locations around and upstream and downstream of the dumping area, as well as continuous automatic monitoring data since Aug 23, showed stable water quality meeting Class II surface water standards. Raw and treated water from the nearest water plant met national standards.

The dredging project was commissioned by Qingshan Shipyard and carried out by Fujian Lugang Group. The project had obtained a permit from the Wuhan Maritime Safety Administration. The vessels began operating on Aug 23 and stopped on the morning of Sept 7, completing 152 vessel operations and dumping 28,100 cubic meters of sludge — all within the designated dumping area.

The investigation found that Fujian Lugang Group failed to report environmental procedures to authorities and did not effectively implement pollution control measures. The vessel owners failed to take effective anti-pollution measures, and Qingshan Shipyard did not develop targeted pollution prevention measures or fulfill its oversight responsibilities.