Toxic Ditch Cleaned After Years of Farmer Distress

In a significant environmental cleanup operation, 68 metric tons of toxic sewage were removed from a notorious roadside ditch in Xuzhou, Jiangsu province. The 12-kilometer ditch had long been a source of pollution affecting local agriculture and villagers. Water quality tests revealed Chemical Oxygen Demand and ammonia nitrogen levels approximately 70 times higher than Class V surface water standards.

Investigations uncovered that local hoof processing workshops were illegally discharging chemicals, including caustic soda and hydrogen peroxide, into the farmland drainage system. This practice created the severely polluted water that had plagued the area for years, despite community complaints. Authorities responded by deploying tanker trucks for water removal and commencing dredging, alongside overnight investigations at the polluting workshops.

Law enforcement discovered 3.5 tons of processed hooves and sealed storage facilities. Several workshops were identified as operating illegally without environmental safeguards. A joint investigation team has been formed to address the violations, although public questions remain regarding the processed hooves' safety and the delayed response to villagers' concerns.