The director of a county environmental protection bureau in southwest China's Sichuan Province was removed from office on Monday for failing to stop a river water pollution event timely, according to the provincial authorities of Sichuan.

The pollution was caused by Dongfanghong Paper Company, Ltd., a private paper mill in Renshou County, Meishan City of Sichuan Province, which even stopped part of its sewage processing facilities during the trial operation of the facilities since February, discharging paper-making liquid wastes surpassing set standard directly into the river.

According to sources with the provincial environmental protection bureau, the excessive discharge of sewage caused serious pollution of the Qiuxi River, a tributary to the Tuojiang River, and a large amount of pollutants were deposited in the watercourse.

Two heavy rains from April 23 to May 2 in Sichuan raised the Qiuxi River stage and flushed the deposited pollutants into the Tuojiang River. The pollutants caused the death of 60,000 kilograms of fish in the river by sharp reduce of dissolved oxygen in the water.

The paper mill has been closed down and fined for 150,000 yuan (US$18,000) while Zhang Wenyi, legal representative of the company, received administrative punishment, said a top official of the Meishan Municipal Government.

Wang Erxiao, director of the Renshou County environmental protection bureau was moved from office while other five county officials in charge of industry and environmental protection respectively received administrative punishment in different degrees as they were accused of doing nothing to stop the paper mill from polluting the river.

(Xinhua News Agency May 12, 2004)