THE Gankeng River in Longgang District was polluted by engine oil Monday night, turning the clean river black, the Southern Metropolis Daily reported yesterday.

    A resident surnamed Yao, who lives in Gankeng Township in Longgang District, smelled oil in the air when he woke up at 5 a.m. Tuesday to open his store.

    “The smell seemed like it was crossing from the other side of the river,” Yao said.

    Yao’s neighbor discovered the smell came from the Gankeng River, which runs across the township.

    The Jihe Expressway, which connects the Shenzhen International Airport and Longgang District, crosses the river.

    A witness who refused to be named said a tanker truck parked in the emergency lane of the expressway and discharged oil into the river through a pipe Monday night.

    “It’s not easy to be discovered (with the aid of a pipe), not like dumping construction waste,” said the witness.

    An initial investigation found that about 2.5 kilometers of the river was polluted.

    The Longgang environmental protection and water affairs bureau blocked the polluted water at six places, stopping it from spreading into the Gankeng Water Reservoir.

    “We feel lucky that the security guard forgot to turn the water valve last night,” said a staff member from the property management center at the scene. “Otherwise the reservoir would be polluted.”

    The staff member said the property management center needs to release rainwater from the river and into the reservoir to prevent floods, but a security guard forgot to open the valve, saving the reservoir from being polluted.

    The pollution had been effectively controlled by 4 p.m. Tuesday with cotton being used to absorb the oil. Some of the cleanup crew are still working.

    The water quality of the Gankeng Water Reservoir is being monitored

    Longgang police are investigating the illegal discharge of oil.

    (Zhang Qian)