NANJING: A chemical plant that severely polluted a river popular with tourists in the capital of East China's Jiangsu Province has been told to limit production for the next few months.

Nanjing Titanium Dioxide Chemicals, a State-owned factory that is one of the country's top titanium producers, discharged more than 3,000 tons of untreated industrial waste into the Nanhe River, in the outskirts of Nanjing.

The pollution eventually made its way into the Qinhuai River, which joins the Nanhe in Nanjing and runs into the centre of the city. The pollution followed the river into the city centre.

Once there, local residents began to complain about the smell, following which the local environmental protection bureau launched an investigation.

The incident occurred because a dam that was built last year to block pollution from the Nanhe River flowing into the Qinhuai was torn down.

The demolition of the dam last Friday, required by the local government because it wanted to dredge the city's whole water system, soon led to the uncontrolled discharge of industrial pollution into the Qinhuai.

According to Liu Xingxiang, a 63-year-old resident living along the Qinhuai, the river has added to the city's charm and influenced the whole urban planning framework for the ancient capital.

The local government spent 3 billion yuan (US$375 million) last year cleaning up the river and improving sightseeing zones along its banks.

"However, the recent pollution means this clean-up was in vain. It might also influence other cities along the lower reaches of Yangtze River. It's really a great pity," said Liu.

He added that he could not bear the unpleasant smell from the polluted river and had seen many dead fish floating on top of the yellow-coloured river.

The local government has promised to clean up the river.

Lu Pinggui, deputy secretary-general of Nanjing city government, announced yesterday that a new dam between the two rivers would be built immediately to block pollutants from further pouring into the Qinhuai River.

And Nanjing Titanium Dioxide Chemicals Ltd has been told to reduce production capacity and ensure all of its wastewater is treated and meets environmental protection standards before being discharged into the Nanhe River.

The factory has its own wastewater management system, but it can deal with only 1,000 tons of wastewater a day.

However, with a production capacity of 250,000 tons per year, the factory's waste discharge systems cannot meet demand, said a worker surnamed Zhang from the factory.

The factory is scheduled to move out of the city by the end of 2007 as part of Nanjing's urban plan.

Lu said a special environmental supervision team would check the factory every day, and it could even be forced to close down ahead of time if it does not fulfil environment protection promises.

Lu also said Nanhe River's polluted water would be diverted to the city's wastewater management factory for purification.

(China Daily 08/30/2006 page3)