Pearl River (珠江)

Measured from the farthest reaches of the Xi Jiang, the Pearl River is China’s third longest river, measuring 2,400 kilometres, and the second largest by volume. the 409,480 square kilometre river drains the majority of South Central, as well as parts of Southwest in China, and Northeast of Vietnam. The river also flows through densely populated areas of Yunnan, Guizhou, Guangxi, Guangdong.

The Pearl River Delta is severely polluted, with sewage and industrial waste treatment facilities failing keep up with economic development. The majority of the pollution is brought about by factories in the area, and the river and its nearby lands are often covered by a brown smog.

A report released by Greenpeace East Asia in October 2009, reported that 25 samples were collected from five manufacturing facilities situated in the Pearl River Delta, and the study conducted concluded that facilities were guilty of discharging waste-water containing chemicals that were either proven or suspected to have hazardous properties, including heavy metals such as beryllium, copper and manganese.

These substances are associated with many health problems such as cancer, and renal failure and damage to the nervous system, and they brought harm to the environment as well.