By Karen Diep
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia
BEIJING, China – Today, Chinese officials released a statement that revealed the number of pig carcasses found in Shanghai’s Haungpu River, a major source of drinking water for Shanghai, was close to 6,000. Yesterday, nearly 5,916 dead pigs were removed from the river.
Officials stated that the water quality met the government set standard and thus, was drinkable. Specifically, the Shanghai municipal government claimed that the water in Huangpu River was safe. No contaminated or contaminated pork had been discovered in the local markets.
However, many are still skeptical.
According to the Huffington post, many residents are concerned after seeing the pictures of “swollen and rotting carcasses.”
Laboratory tests have discovered that some of the dead pigs possessed porcine circovirus, a common disease that affects pigs but not humans. Moreover, authorities are disinfecting the pig carcasses before burying them, while incinerating others.
According to BBC News’ John Sudworth in Shanghai, the general mood is of concern opposed to outrage or panic. Chinese citizens are very familiar to food scandals – oil scraped from sewers for cooking and plasticizer in baby formula.
On weibo, China’s equivalent of Twitter, users are voicing their concern over the dead pigs.
“Cadres and officials, we are willing to provide for you, but please don’t let us die from poisoning. Otherwise who will serve you? Please think twice,” said netizen Shi Liqin.
“This river’s colour [sic] is about the same as excrement, even if there weren’t dead pigs you couldn’t drink it,” wrote someone with the username Yuzhou Duelist.
In the state-run Global Times, the article claimed that the “pig scandal” comes amid growing concerns about China’s environment, including recent record smog levels in Beijing and water and air pollution affecting villages.
“The country’s citizens, including both ordinary people and officials, should bear in mind the necessity of protecting the environment,” read the article.
Although the cause of death is unknown, officials believe that the pigs may have come from Jiaxing, a city in the Zhejiang province.
“We don’t exclude the possibility that the dead pigs found in Shanghai were from Jiaxing. But we are not absolutely sure,” stated Jiaxing local spokesman Wang Dengfeng at a news conference. Furthermore, Jiaxing officials also believe that the pigs may have been killed by the cold weather.
Today, a Zhejiang court sentenced 46 people to jail for yielding unsafe pork from sick pigs that they had acquired and slaughtered between 2010 and 2012.
Last year, Jiaxing authorities segregated a gang that acquired and slaughtered diseased pigs arresting 12 suspects and seizing nearly 12 tons of unsafe pork.
For further information, please see:
BBC News – China Pulls Nearly 6,000 Dead Pigs From Shanghai River – 13 March 2013
Huffington Post – Dead Pigs In China’s Shanghai River Worry Residents – 13 March 2013
New York Times – With 6,000 Dead Pigs in River, Troubling Questions on Food Safety – 13 March 2013
