ABOUT 1 million cubic meters of construction waste has been dumped in the Qinghu section of Guanlan River in Longhua Subdistrict, Bao’an District, forming a 10-meter-high hill.

The amount of waste, including bricks, cement and sand, blocked half of the river and posed a flooding threat as this year’s rainy season approaches, the Daily Sunshine said.

The area was hit by a minor flood last month when a small bridge was almost demolished by the water, said Liao Huiqiu, director of the Qinghu neighborhood committee. He said authorities are very concerned about the situation in the section south of the Jihe Expressway where the waste has been dumped.

Liao said a large quantity of construction waste needs to be disposed off properly everyday in the subdistrict, because a lot of old buildings are undergoing reconstruction and renovation. “However, no such place has been designated for disposal,” he said.

Many people are making money by helping contractors dispose of construction waste, according to Liao. “It is a lucrative business as there is no cost involved,” he said. Since the first truck of waste was dumped in the river in October 2006, other people have followed suit, resulting in the 10-meter-high obstruction.

The committee has put up a sign near the river, warning people not to dispose of garbage in the river. According to Liao, his committee has sent employees to stop people dumping waste in the river, but to little effect, as it has no law enforcement powers.

The Longhua Subdistrict and Bao’an water supply bureau have jointly launched an investigation and issued several fines, the newspaper quoted an official with the water supply bureau surnamed Peng as saying. However, the illegal disposal continues, mostly at night, said Peng.

The district government said it will conduct a further investigation. (Wei Jie)