900 dead pigs wash up in Shanghai water supply

At least 900 dead pigs have been recovered from the Huangpu River, a source of drinking water for the city of Shanghai, say health officials in China. And, according to an article published by China Daily on March 10, 2013, how they got there is still a mystery.

The dead pigs started floating to the top on Saturday and it's possible more than a thousand were somehow dumped into the river upstream from Shanghai, which is a major source of drinking water for the bustling city.

So far, officials are shying away from the diseased livestock dumping theory and haven't ruled out the possibility that some sort of natural catastrophe is responsible for the deluge of dead pigs in the river.

But what could that be?

China is currently feeling the heat for a perceived lackadaisical attitude towards protecting the environment as it speeds up nationwide industrial growth. Was it just more convenient for some farmer to cut his losses and run?

Or is it something more nefarious? Dead animals in a city water supply is an ingenious way to get lots of people sick, or worse.

Typically tight-lipped officials have moved surprisingly quickly in rounding up the dead animals, vigorously monitoring water quality and reporting the bad news immediately.

That seems like a change for the better. Maybe there's a silver lining in this dark cloud?

What do you think?

http://www.examiner.com/article/900-dead-pigs-wash-up-shanghai-water-supply