Farmland inundated after aluminum sludge leak

NANNING - About 67 hectares of farmland were submerged in south China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region as of Tuesday after a sludge dump of an aluminum company began leaking Saturday.

Mud measuring over one meter in depth from the sludge dump of the Guangxi Huayin Aluminum Co., Ltd. entered the houses of some farmers in Jingxi county, according to a Xinhua reporter at the scene.

The sea of mud as well as red, polluted water have inundated the village. A total of 43 families have been affected, and they were relocated to tents set up on a mountain slope.

The county government has given out water and food to affected farmers, who will also receive a daily stipend of 30 yuan ($4.7) each from the company.

Heavy metal pollution has yet to be found in the mud, according to the regional environmental monitoring center. The cause of the incident is under investigation.

Guangxi Huayin Aluminum Co. Ltd, which mainly produces aluminum oxide at an annual production rate of 1.6 million tonnes, was established in 2003 and put into operation in 2007.