People's Republic of China/Russian Federation: Chemical Spill OCHA Situation Report No. 3

Ref: 2005/0222
OCHA Situation Report No. 3
Chemical Spill
People's Republic of China/Russian Federation

Situation

1. According to the Chinese Authorities an explosion occurred on 13 November 2005 at a petrochemical plant of the Jilin Petrochemical Corporation, which is affiliated with the China National Petroleum Corporation. Five people were reportedly killed, 70 injured and 10,000 evacuated in Jilin, China, following the explosion.

2. The explosion led to the release of organic pollutants including benzene, nitrobenzene, and aniline. An estimated 100 tonnes of pollutants (with an unknown ratio) from the explosion entered the nearby Songhua River. The pollutants that entered the river started to move downstream in a plume of contaminated water that is now estimated to be about 150 km long.

3. On 21 December, the pollution plume had reached 10 kilometres upstream of Khabarovsk (Russian Federation), which has an estimated population of 580,000 on the Amur River. The plume should have reached Khabarovsk by today, 22 December. The Amur River flows through Russia into the Sea of Okhotsk.

National Response

People's Republic of China

4. The water quality is continuously monitored at 30 monitoring stations and information provided to downstream authorities, as well as to the Russian Federation, on the speed, concentration and length of the pollution plume.

5. A dam is being built on a branch of the Heilongjiang River to prevent the pollution from reaching three fresh water intakes for the city of Khabarovsk further downstream.

6. Some measurement and analytical equipment has been provided to the Russian local authorities to assist in the sampling and monitoring of the pollution plume.

Russian Federation

7. According to media reports, drinking water was cut-off for approximately 10,000 inhabitants of Khabarovsk. Approximately 58,000 cubic meters of fresh water have been delivered to Khabarovsk. It is estimated that it will probably take four days for the pollution plume to pass the city.

8. A team of Russian experts has joined monitoring activities along the Songhua River and, based on a bilateral agreement, Chinese experts will join the Russian team downstream. Since 21 December, 72 water samples have been taken from the Amur River. Monitoring around the drink water intakes of Khabarovsk has been intensified. So far, no levels of benzene have been detected.

9. Russian Authorities have launched a proposal for an international conference to be organized on environmental emergencies and technological disasters, including a focus on international and transboundary legal aspects.

International response

10. Upon invitation of the Chinese State Environmental Protection Administration, a mission of the United Nations Environment Programme took place between 9 and 16 December. The mission visited the affected cities of Jiamusi and Harbin and held discussion with SEPA officials in Beijing.

11. A working group consisting of representatives from the Khabarovsk Red Cross regional branch, Russian Red Cross headquarters, and a disaster management officer from the Minsk Delegation (with the support of IFRC in Moscow) is assessing the situation and coordinating drinking water supply activities to the most vulnerable groups of population in the cities of Khabarovsk and Komsomolsk-na-Amure. For more information, please refer to Bulletin No. 05 ME 071 by IFRC (dated 20 December 2005), available on http://www.reliefweb.int.

12. OCHA is in close contact with the UN Resident Coordinator's Office in Beijing and will revert with further information as it becomes available.

13. This situation report, together with further information on other ongoing emergencies is available on the OCHA Internet Website at http://www.reliefweb.int.

Map: China: Chemical spill - Situation map

Telephone: +41 22 917 12 34
Fax: +41 22 917 00 23
E-mail: ochagva@un.org

In case of emergency only: Tel. +41 22 917 20 10

Desk Officers:

Mr. Rene Nijenhuis (Joint UNEP/OCHA Environment Unit)
Direct Tel. +41 22 917 1815

Mr Masaaki Nakagawa (desk officer for People's Republic of China)
Direct Tel. +41 22 917 4034

Ms Myrtia Murgia (desk officer for Russian Federation)
Direct Tel. +41 22 9173145

Press contact:

(GVA) Ms. Elizabeth Byrs, direct Tel. +41 22 917 26 53
(N.Y.) Ms. Stephanie Bunker, direct Tel. +1 212 917 892 16 79