A direct loss of 900,000 yuan (about US$108,400) caused by the pollution from the Dongfanghong Paper Company, Ltd., a private paper mill in Renshou County, Meishan City of Sichuan Province, has been totally compensated by the company and the left sewage has been thoroughly disposed, local sources said on Sunday.

According to sources with the provincial environmental protection bureau, the excessive discharge of sewage from this mill caused serious pollution to the Tuojiang River, a Yangtze River tributary, from the end of April to early this month.

The pollutants caused the death of 120,000 kilograms of fish in the river by a sharp reduction of dissolved oxygen in the water.

Local authority then thoroughly stopped its sewage processing facilities by cutting off the power.

However, there were still about 50,000 cubic meters of paper-making liquid wastes surpassing set standard without disposal timely, which was sometimes flushed into the Tuojiang River by rainfall.

After setting stricter discharging standards, the local authority properly disposed the sewage by medication and buried the polluted mud and sand.

Meanwhile, the local government revealed the cases of some companies discharging pollutants. It encouraged the whole society to supervise and report local pollution cases.

(Xinhua News Agency May 31, 2004)