The Environmental Protection Bureau of Heilongjiang Province, northeast China, said in a news release Thursday that a chemical-slick is moving slower than expected down the Songhua River.

The river is now frozen over in parts and this is slowing the passing of the chemicals that spilled into the river following an explosion at a petrochemical plant earlier this month in Jilin City.

The pollution that has passed the town of Tonghe is now expected to reach Dalianhe between 11 PM Thursday and 9 AM Friday, almost a day later than predicted.

Meanwhile, monitoring equipment has arrived in the city of Jaimusi, a medium-sized city that is approximately 160 kms downstream from Dalianhe.

The water pollution on Songhua River was caused by a chemical plant blast on November 13 in neighboring Jilin Province, resulting in serious spills of poisonous substances such as benzene and nitrobenzene into the No.2 Songhua River, a tributary of the Songhua River.

Harbin, the capital of Heilongjiang Province, which uses the Songhua River water as its main source of water suspended its water supply from November 23-27 as the pollution passed.

The provincial environment protection bureau said that water quality in the provincial capital now complies with state standards for drinking water.

(Xinhua News Agency December 1, 2005)