Official sacked over television crew mess

By Cao Li (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-04-25 09:48

SHANGHAI: An official in Zhejiang province was removed from office for approving shooting by a television crew who left behind a large amount of waste at a reservoir serving 300,000 people.

Huang Xingfa, director of the irrigation project administration of Yangxi Reservoir, was dismissed on Wednesday for failing to enforce water resources protection laws by allowing the shooting of The Three Kingdoms television series at the reservoir, the People's Daily reported on its website on Friday.

The shooting, which started on April 6, ended with piles of plastic food boxes, bottles, human excrement and oil stains left behind around the dam, it said. In addition, the air smells of fuel and pieces of junk are floating on the water.

Fortunately, the oil and waste have not entered the reservoir yet, due to lack of rain recently, it reported.

Huang said in a previous interview that the producer of the TV series had been pursuing the administration since 2008, intending to lease the dam for shooting a particular scene.

"The administration rejected the request several times, as the dam is the major source of drinking water for locals," he told the website.

Finally a deal was signed at 300 yuan ($44) per day rental between members of the administration and the shooting crew, without reporting to superiors in the department, hoping to bring fame to the scenic spot.

The agreement stipulated that no waste would be allowed within the territory and the crew paid a 20,000-yuan security deposit.

Local villagers complained to www.sohu.com that hundreds p of people living on the spot were inconvenienced when a tractor was used to carry the waste.

Huang said the administration found some waste on the riverbank. "But the water is not polluted yet."

"We banned the shooting scheduled for a later date. We will never allow shooting here again."

In a previous incident in Yunnan province in 2004, large amounts of waste were left behind by the crew of Chen Kaige's The Promise at a scenic spot by a lake.