A tributary of the Songhua River which runs through the city of Jilin, in northeast China's Jilin Province, the Mangniu River was reported Monday to have been polluted when contaminating substances were illegally discharged by a chemical company. The incident was brought under control Wednesday said the local environmental protection bureau.

Experts arriving at the scene were met by the sight of a five-kilometer-long slick of bubbly, red water. The city government launched emergency plans and officials from the State Environmental Protection Administration, the Jilin provincial government and the local environmental protection bureau attended and put in place pollution control measures. 

More than 1,000 army personnel and fire fighters built an interception dam and two barriers made of activated carbon which absorbs pollutants. Through filtration the stretch of polluted water was cleaned. 

No pollutants have so far been detected in the Songhua River according to the city's environmental protection bureau. Preliminary investigations indicate the pollutants were illegally discharged by the Changbaishan Jingxi Chemical Company and those responsible have been detained.

(Xinhua News Agency August 24, 2006)