Pollution Turns China River Dark Red

Industrial discharge and household wastewater have polluted a northern Chinese river so badly that the water is dark red in some sections and has caused chronic illnesses among villagers, a government publication reported.

Some of the 50,000 villagers living along polluted stretches of the Futuo River in Hebei province said sweet potatoes and soy beans grown there were tough and would not soften with cooking, the state-run China Environment News reported. Oil pressed from peanuts harvested in the area smells bad, the report said.

China has some of the world's most polluted waterways and cities after two decades of breakneck industrial growth. The government has struggled in recent years to balance environmental concerns with economic growth.

One stretch of the Futuo River, once a place for boating and fishing, was flowing reddish-brown, with inches of white foam floating on some parts.

''The river looked like a white boa constrictor slithering into Anping County,'' the Oct. 30 report said.

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