Thousands of dead pigs in Shanghai raise fears for water supply
FILE - In this Wednesday, March 13, 2013 file photo, a worker in protective clothing prepares to haul away dead pigs pulled from a river along Zhonglian village of Jinshan district in Shanghai. The number of dead pigs found in the Shanghai river that provides drinking water to the Chinese financial hub has risen to 7,545, after local authorities retrieved 944 more pigs Thursday, March 14. (AP Photo/File) CHINA OUT
BEIJING >> The number of dead pigs retrieved from waters in and near China’s financial hub of Shanghai has reached nearly 12,000.
The upstream city of Jiaxing — where small hog farms are prevalent — reported Friday night that it had recovered 3,601 dead pigs from its streams, according to state media.
In Shanghai, authorities have retrieved 8,354 swollen and rotting carcasses from Huangpu river, which provides the metropolis with drinking water. The dead pigs are largely believed to be from Jiaxing, but Zhao Shumei, a deputy vice mayor, said it was inconclusive to say all the pigs were from her city.
Both Shanghai, a city of 23 million people, and Jiaxing say there’s been no swine epidemic and that tap water remains safe, but local residents remain worried about water contamination.
