Amur River water tests correspond to microbiological norms-Ministry.

12/8 Tass 55

KHABAROVSK, August 12 (Itar-Tass) - Experts of the Russian Emergencies
Ministry have taken another seven water samples from the Amur River after
chemical barrels were washed by floods into the Sungari River.
Analyses at the laboratories of Khabarovsk and Birobidzhan proved that
the river waters does not exceed the maximum allowable concentration of
chlorides, chlorophenol, ammonium nitrogen and other organic impurities.
"At present, water corresponds to microbiological norms and basic
physical and chemical requirements. There is no threat to life and health
of people," the Far Eastern regional emergencies centre said.
Waters of the Sungari River, one of the largest tributaries of the
Amur River, with possible residual contamination from chemical barrels
that were swept into the waterway by heavy floods will not heavily affect
the quality of the Amur River water, said Yelena Ivanova, the head of the
environmental monitoring centre of the Far Eastern meteorology service.
"The share of the Sungari water in the Amur downstream from Khabarovsk
comprises no more than 20 percent. This means five-time dilution of the
pollution load as a result of mixing of the two rivers' waters.
Nevertheless, we will conduct stronger monitoring until August 20," he
said.
"The results of water samples are good and we hope that in the future
water will remain clean within acceptable limits," the governor of the
Khabarovsk territory, Vyacheslav Shport said. Along with this a complex of
preventive measures was developed if the situation worsens.
"We have all necessary to ensure safety of the region's people, if
contaminants are found in the water," he said.
Some experts, including scientists from the Institute for Water and
Environmental Problems does not rule out multi-component contamination of
water in the Sungari River that will exert negative effects on bio-system.
The Sungari river waters were polluted after floods swept 7,000
chemical barrels into the waterway from warehouses of two chemical plants
in Jilin city, Jilin Province, on July 28.

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