Rare drone film of suspected dumping spurs Chinese agencies into investigation

Authorities in central China have joined forces in an effort to investigate suspected industrial dumping on the Yangtze River following the release of rare drone footage of the activity.

The environment bureau in the Hubei city of Wuhan said on Monday that it had launched the inquiry in association with police and transport authorities.

The announcement comes less than two weeks after Beijing revised performance assessment rules for officials, holding them accountable for life for serious environmental damage on their watch.

The investigation was spurred by the release of drone footage online on Sunday showing barges discharging an unknown black substance into the river near Tianxingzhou, an islet in the Wuhan section of the Yangtze.

Tianxingzhou is home to a facility that supplies about 3,000 tonnes of water daily to roughly 800 residents, according to 2024 data from Hubei’s water resources department.

In the footage posted on the account “Fishing and Hunting Brother Qi”, a barge stops in the middle of the river and dumps its load within about 10 seconds, leaving a dark plume several times the length of the vessel.