China's Lianyungang city shuts chemical plant after state TV report
BEIJING (Reuters) - The Chinese city of Lianyungang, a major chemical and refining hub in the eastern province of Jiangsu, has shut a chemical plant after media reports it was polluting nearby water resources, the municipal government said late on Wednesday.
The city ordered Lianyungang Yongxing Chemical Co to close after state-run China Central Television reported its chemical plant dug an underground tunnel that was used to dump waste water from the facility into the nearby Xinyi River, the city government said.
The city said is carrying out an investigation on water pollution from 13 chemical plants around Lianyungang and will continue to crack down on pollution from its chemical sector.
Lianyungang is being considered as a site for one of seven planned major refining complexes in China. Under the plan, the city would hold an energy complex with 40 million tonnes per year of crude oil refining capacity.
(Reporting by Meng Meng and Aizhu Chen; Editing by Christian Schmollinger)
