The illegal processing of minerals and discharge of sewage by a mining company is to blame for the water pollution in the Hejiang River in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, a local official confirmed to the Global Times Monday.

A press officer from the city government of Hezhou said the Huiwei Mineral Processing Plant, one of the 112 mining companies along the river, is responsible for the excessive levels of thallium and cadmium found in the river.

The plant's owner, surnamed Gong, has also been detained, said the official, adding that the plant was also found to be secretly processing indium, a soft metal found in zinc, which has produced waste, including thallium and cadmium that was discharged in the river.

In neighboring Guangdong Province, the local government of downstream Fengkai county expressed concerns over the tainted water Saturday, the Nandu Daily reported, adding that the county has stopped using the river as its main drinking water source and regularly tested samples. 

The official from Hezhou also said the pollution would be cleared within two weeks and other mining companies along the river should be checked.

As of Sunday, 112 enterprises along the river had been ordered to suspend operations for investigation after dead fish have been found in a section of the river since July 1, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

Bi Haidong, deputy mayor of Hezhou, said some small mining companies frequently conduct illegal mineral exploitation and washing, and discharge waste without treatment, which can result in pollution.

Hezhou has huge reserves of minerals, including manganese, tungsten, rare earths, cadmium and thallium.

By Sunday evening, the cadmium density in the section of the river between Guangxi and Guangdong had fallen below standard, while that of thallium remained beyond the allowed maximum level, according to the local environmental protection department.

"The monitoring data was not good, but the situation is under control," said Bi.

Global Times - Xinhua