Quick lesson every China watcher should know: Remember, 1) China is big, 2) China is crowded.
Should you remember these important facts, it will come as little surprise when you start reading about accidents in China and the numbers seem off. (For instance, here we have a story from Xinhua, the official government news agency of China, an organization that has been known to slant stories to make China and conditions in China look better and they *still* report 200,000 people have had their water supply affected by what is reported to be a single truck spill.)
Second point of interest, China has a wide variety of ethnic groups. The Zhuang are, officially, one of these ethnic groups. (Some say that the Zhuang are basically Han Chinese, and that they were given minority status for political reasons.) Like many of China's minority groups they live in Yunnan province in the southwest / south central region of China.
To see a map of the area go here:
http://www.travelchinaguide.com/cityguides/guangxi/baise/
Posted without further comment (except that I am anxious to find some information on how much load a truck in China can hold. Trucks in China tend to be smaller than those in the USA for several reasons.)
Peter Huston
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http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-06/09/content_8334796.htm
Chemical leakage threatens drinking water for 200,000 in S China
www.chinaview.cn 2008-06-09 21:41:03 Print
NANNING, June 9 (Xinhua) -- A chemical spill from an overturned truck is threatening the drinking water safety for more than 200,000 people in Baise City in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
On Saturday morning in the neighboring Funing County, Yunnan Province, the truck carrying 33.6 tons of crude phenol overturned and spilled the poisonous chemical into the Zhesang River in the upper reaches of the Baise multipurpose dam.
The chemicals entered into the dam area on Monday morning, said a municipal government official. About 15 km down from the dam was a water intake for 200,000 people in Baise.
How much of the river was polluted had yet to be determined.
The Baise government had ordered more than 1,000 households in Yangyu Town, which might be affected by the chemicals, not to use the water in the upper reaches of the dam.
It also has taken measure to ensure drinking water supply for local residents.
The government was busy building a barricade on the river to reduce the pollutants. Rescuers also threw in lime and active carbon to neutralize and absorb the crude phenol, the official said
Phenol is a caustic, white crystalline compound derived from benzene. It is used in the production of resins, plastics and pharmaceuticals. In a diluted form, it can be used as a disinfectant or antiseptic.
Editor: Wang Hongjiang
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