Wood factory blamed for decade-long pollution

A wood factory in Shanghai's Fengxian District has been polluting surrounding environment for years despite plea by residents to have it moved.

Shanghai Wanxiang Wood Industry Co Ltd, located on Fengzhen Highway, Fengxian District, makes wooden boards. According to nearby Qingchun Town residents, the factory has been emitting wooden powder and a peculiar smoke in the air for almost a decade since it was established in 2003.

According to a resident surnamed Chen, a chimney belonging to the factory, which is just 100 meters away from their village, has been discharging smoke almost 24 hours a day. The smoke reportedly contains wooden powder, which carries a peculiar smell, likely from the adhesive materials which contain methanol.

The powder is believed to be the main pollutant that changed the color of a river nearby. Chen claimed even the color of the well water has started to change.

The area is buried in a haze almost throughout the year.

Fengxian District Environmental Protection Bureau said it had already ordered the factory to carry out rectification and reformation.

A spokesperson of the Fengxian District government told Shanghai Daily yesterday that rectification process was already underway.