The content of nitrobenzene in northeast China's Songhua River, which suffered serious pollution after a blast at an upstream chemical plant last November, will not exceed standards in spring, China's environmental watchdog said Tuesday.

The State Environment Protection Administration told a press conference that the amount of nitrobenzene in the ice on the river has decreased and the amount that sank into the riverbed is limited.

As a result the chemical content in the river will not rise above the state standards for water quality when the river thaws in spring, the SEPA said.

(Xinhua News Agency January 24, 2006)