China, Russia jointly monitor pollution in Songhua River
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2005-12-02 16:44

China and Russia started to jointly monitor pollution in northeast China's Songhua River on Friday, China's environmental watchdog said.

Technicians from China and Russia will take river-water samples from a depth of half a meter in Mulan County of Heilongjiang Province, said the State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA) in a statement.

"The water samples will be analyzed jointly in accordance with China's national standards," said the SEPA.

Both sides will also jointly monitor the pollution in Tongjiang, where the Songhua and Heilongjiang rivers intersect, it said. The Heilongjiang River is the Amur River in Russia.

The pollution in the Songhua River was caused by an explosion at a petrochemical plant in the upper reaches of the river early last month. It is estimated that about 100 tons of benzene had spilled into the river.