MORE than 1,000 people in Chongkou Village, Luoding County, are plagued by pollution of their water supply emanating from a private gold mine. The mine owner, surnamed Chen, started mining in the mountains last November after signing a contract with village officials. His gold extraction facility uses highly toxic cyanide close to the villagers’ water supply. On rainy days, the waste residue washes into wells, ponds, paddy fields and rivers and even the soil has been heavily contaminated. The polluted water source affects not only Chongkou but also some surrounding villages. A test has shown that the water pollutants are 100 times the allowed content. A villager found the water in his two newly dug wells had turned green with an odd taste. When it was boiled, white foam formed. Another villager said that since the gold extraction began, many fish in his pond had died and the water had started giving off offensive smells.An investigation found that the gold mining and extraction had not been authorized correctly. The villagers have retained a law firm to advise them.An official from the Guangdong Provincial Environmental Protection Bureau said China had strict procedures to process gold mining applications and that gold mining near a water source was absolutely prohibited.(Flame Woo)