COFFEE TIME: A contestant competes in the Second Fushan Cup International Barista Championship in Chengmai, south China's Hainan Province, on June 9, which saw 24 baristas from 12 countries and regions participate (GUO CHENG)

Bus Fire

A fire broke out at about 6:20 p.m. on June 7 on a BRT (bus rapid transit) bus in Xiamen, southeast Fujian Province, killing 47 and injured 34.

The bus was near its 95-person capacity when the fire occurred. Investigators noted the tires and fuel tank of the bus were undamaged and detected traces of gasoline despite the bus being equipped with a diesel engine, leading local police to suspect arson.

Further investigation and DNA evidence identified 59-year-old Chen Shuizong among the passengers who died in the blaze. Xiamen police found notes in Chen's house, which showed that the suspect was pessimistic about his life, and planned the arson to vent personal grievances.

Soil Pollution Survey

The Chinese Government plans to conduct a nationwide soil pollution survey, the Ministry of Land and Resources said on June 12.

Soil samples will be collected at multiple depths in order to find both the natural condition of the soil and the impact that human activity has had on it, the ministry said.

Samples taken at both deep and shallow depths will reveal how chemical elements have affected the soil, but the ministry did not give a precise date for releasing the survey results.

The ministry said that previous investigations indicate that some regions are heavily polluted, particularly near the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, the country's longest waterway.

The public has asked authorities to issue soil pollution data, as well as detailed measures to handle the problem, after a recent food safety scandal involving cadmium-tainted rice in south China's Guangdong Province.

Giant Water Project

Water from the lower reaches of the Yangtze River converged with the lower reaches of the Yellow River, China's second longest river, on June 10 thanks to the progress of China's South-North Water Diversion Project.

This marks a landmark success of the first phase of the eastern route of the water diversion project, which is expected to begin supplying water to thirsty parts in the north later this year.

The project, with an estimated total cost of 500 billion yuan ($81 billion), was launched in December 2002. It plans to divert 44.8 billion cubic meters of water annually from the Yangtze through eastern, middle and western routes to relieve water shortages in north China by 2050.

Groundwater Monitoring

China has set up a preliminary groundwater monitoring network as part of the country's effort to preserve its groundwater resources, said the Ministry of Water Resources.

So far, 24,417 groundwater monitoring sites have been built, 10 percent of them capable of monitoring water quality, according to statistics released on June 7.

The majority of these monitoring sites are located in north China, the country's breadbasket where most water is polluted to varying degrees.

The National Development and Reform Commission, China's top economic planner, said in a statement issued in November 2010 that a total of 1.7 billion yuan ($277 million) would be invested to build and renovate 20,445 groundwater monitoring sites covering nearly one third of the country's territory.