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Pink pond in Chinese village sparks fear of toxic water
A video of the pink pond at a village in China's central Henan province has gone viral since June 18. PHOTO: SCREENGRAB FROM WEIBO
A group of residents in China woke up on June 18 to find that a pond in their village had turned pink mysteriously, raising concerns that their underground water might be contaminated.
Worried about the quality of the water, residents of Matun village in central Henan province alerted the authorities to investigate the cause of the abnormal hue of the pond that was formed next to a dike along a river.
A video of the rosy water quickly went viral.
The village's party secretary Wang Kuaijing said the pond is 'still water', and the pinkness could be the result of a 'reaction when new water combines with existing water' in the pond, reported Jiupai News.
She added that drinking water in the village had been tested and the results did not show any abnormalities.
The local government said it has set up a team with officers from various departments to retrieve samples of the water and to investigate the businesses operating on both sides of the river for any wrongdoing.
Water bodies, such as saltwater marshes, turning pink have also been reported in other parts of the world, and the phenomenon has been attributed to natural causes, such as an algal bloom.
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