Probe unearths no pollution

Allegations of companies pumping waste into ground 'are unfounded'

A nearly weeklong government investigation into claims that Shandong province enterprises pump polluted water into the ground has still not uncovered any solid evidence that this happened, officials from local environmental departments said.

Allegations appeared on Sina Weibo on Feb 11 claiming that chemical plants and paper mills in Weifang, in East China's Shandong province, have been pumping wastewater 1,000 meters under the ground through high-pressure wells, polluting a large area of groundwater.