Beijing (AsiaNews/SCMP) – While a polluted mass of water passes beyond Harbin and heads towards Russia, the government's reaction is becoming ever more controversial. The authorities concealed the presence of toxic fumes in Songhua River for 10 days however official sources are seeking to justify this conduct. Meanwhile, experts and media are becoming more and more critical.

"There are many ways to release information," said Zhang Lijun , a vice-director of the State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA).  "Making it public is one way, and only informing the local governments and enterprises along the route of contamination is another. What the Jilin government did was feasible and OK. This has ensured the public was not affected."

Chinese newspapers said Zhang seemed to approve covering up the environmental disaster to avoid public alarm. The media noted too that he appeared to have forgotten the law: Section 31 of the Environmental Protection Ordinance, says units responsible for causing a pollution emergency must inform other units and residents who are likely to be affected by the pollution. However, those running the Jilin factory consistently denied the explosion on 13 November had caused pollution, until SEPA's admission on 24 November.

A newspaper in Guandong, which sent its reporters to Jilin to investigate the explosion at the plant, said it had been pressured by the provincial government to "cut" the article. Other sources also confirmed that the local government had urged other provinces to "call back" journalists, which accounts for the news blackout in those days.

The poor regard for public health is evident in more ways than one. "Releasing the information [to Heilongjiang] five days [after the blast] is terrible because the water for cities along the river might have been polluted already,"" said Zhang Ming , a professor at Renmin University in Beijing.

Chinese media are critical about the conduct of managers of the Jilin factory and that of the government, which hid the news about the toxic chemical spill of 100 tons in the Songhua River. The mistrust has been directed also at the government agency Xinhua: usually local media get their news from this source, but this time they sent their own reporters on site in Harbin and its whereabouts.

In Harbin, it would not have been enough to close the water supply for a few days to avoid serious damages. "Toxic chemicals still exist [in the water] because the river is freezing up. From now until spring next year, we will have to adopt various methods to handle [the spill] to make sure the water is safe." The media has noted that the Songhua is 1,927km long and it passes through 30 large cities, other than villages with rural populations which have been left without information and protection.  Heilongjiang Governor Zhang Zuoji said he was worried that many farmers may not be aware of public announcements and may have drawn water from Songhua River.

Russia is expecting the polluted spill to reach it by tomorrow, but Chinese sources say it will take longer. In the meantime, an emergency committee has been set up to tackle the situation. Russian media are talking about an "ecological catastrophe" and clamour is growing to ask China for compensation for the damage, made worse by the delayed information. A provision of international law holds states accountable for the pollution caused to the water of other countries.

In China, it has also been noted that the discharge of chemical substances into the river could carry criminal responsibility. On 24 November, a resident of Harbin filed a lawsuit against the firm responsible for the Jilin factory, calling for symbolic compensation of 15 yuan and a formal apology in a newspaper.