Panic buying of bottled water in local supermarkets of Handan, a city located on the Zhuozhang River's lower reaches, Jan. 5, 2013. Nearly 9 tonnes of aniline leaked by a chemical plant in north China's Shanxi Province have ended up in the river. The leak was first discovered on Dec. 31, 2012. The contamination alerts were delayed for 5 days due to unknown reasons, an opinion piece published on the website of People's Daily said. The delay compromised the citizens' basic right to know the truth as well as caused panic and health problems.[China.org.cn]

Nearly 9 tonnes of aniline leaked by a chemical plant in north China's Shanxi Province have ended up in the Zhuozhang River, local authorities said Sunday.

An initial investigation revealed that a loose drainage valve in the plant, which is owned by the Tianji Coal Chemical Industry Group, was to blame for the leak.

The leak was discovered on Dec. 31, 2012, when plant employees spotted aniline leaking from a broken pipe while conducting a routine check, a company spokesman said.

Another 30 tonnes of spilled aniline have been contained in a nearby disused reservoir, the local emergency response headquarters said.

A statement from the municipal government of Changzhi said the leak has not resulted in any deaths, adding that the river's water quality has been improving.

A further investigation into the accident is under way.

Yet the incident has already caused a panic buying of bottled water in local supermarkets of Handan, a city located on the river's lower reaches.

Contamination alerts were delayed for 5 days due to unknown reasons, an opinion piece published on the website of People's Daily said. The delay compromised the citizens' basic right to know the truth as well as caused panic and health problems.

The contamination has cut off water supplies for Handan since Saturday afternoon. The city government said water supplies will not be immediately resumed.

Aniline is a toxic chemical widely used to manufacture pigments, herbicides and other chemicals.

Other rivers have experienced similar contamination in recent years. The Longjiang River in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region was polluted with industrial waste in January 2011, killing a lot of fish and cutting off water supplies in the city of Liuzhou.

In 2010, the Songhua River in northeast China's Jilin Province was polluted by chemicals that were swept into the river after floods hit warehouses owned by two chemical companies.