China treats polluted water after chemical plant blast

XIANGSHUI, Jiangsu, March 30 (Xinhua) -- About 18,000 cubic meters of polluted water from the site of a deadly blast in eastern China's Jiangsu Province had been transported to sewage treatment facilities of two nearby chemical factories for temporary storage by Saturday noon, according to the rescue headquarters.

The acidic wastewater was from a pit formed after the explosion, which measures about 120 meters in diameter and 1.7 meters in depth.

The polluted water was first neutralized with alkaline substances and then transported through pipelines to the said facilities, before being treated later, said the rescue headquarters.

The headquarters said it would use lime to neutralize and solidify the acidic pollutants at the bottom of the pit. They will be treated as dangerous waste together with polluted soil.

The deadly explosion happened at about 2:48 p.m. last Thursday, following a fire that broke out in a plant owned by Jiangsu Tianjiayi Chemical Co. in a chemical park in Xiangshui County, Yancheng City.

The explosion killed 78 people and wounded hundreds as of Monday afternoon.