China: While flooding and worrying about chemical leaks, many Leshan residents evacuated
Flooding in Sichuan, China is not over yet, worried about the leakage of toxic chemicals, many residents of Leshan city have evacuated.
SCMP reported on August 22, when information about the chemical leak spread on social media, residents of Leshan city, Sichuan province, southwestern China, fled by car, bicycles and anything else they could find to get rid of hazards they said were imminent.
A person on Weibo - China's Twitter-like platform - said he had seen "dense white mist" rising from the factory in Leshan's Wu Tongqiao district since August 19.
As of August 21, the local government sought to alleviate people's concerns, saying they had conducted an investigation and no harmful chemicals were detected in the air
However, authorities said, "a small amount" of hydrogen chloride gas was leaked on August morning from a polysilicon factory. Leaks occur when the plant's flue gas treatment system malfunctions after a loss of water and electricity supplies.
Despite the government's efforts to reassure the public, not everyone is convinced.
Weibo users who witnessed a "dense white mist" called the authorities statement that there was no trace of chemicals in the air "nonsense".
Another presented a more scientific argument. "When exposed to water, hydrogen chloride forms hydrochloric acid, a strong acid," said the person. How can it be harmless to the human body? And how much is a small amount? ”
The Wuchang District is home to more than 60 large-scale chemical companies and is also one of China's top 10 raw material production facilities.
China has experienced many disasters related to the chemical industry. In March of last year, 78 people were killed and more than 600 injured after an explosion at a chemical plant in Jiangsu province. In 2015, 173 people died when 700 tons of sodium cyanide exploded at a chemical plant in Tianjin.
Chemical leaks are not the only problem with Lac Son in recent days.
On August 18, police and volunteers had to work hard to protect Leshan Dai Buddha from being engulfed by floods on the Yangtze River that surged water to the feet of the giant Buddha statue.
CCTV reported that rescuers used sandbags to cover the famous 71-meter-high Leshan Dai Buddha when floodwaters reached the foot of China's Buddha statue for the first time in more than 70 years.
