Dozens of illegal wine factories along the Chishui River in Guizhou province have been penalised to ensure the river water remains pure enough for the manufacture of China's national liquor, maotai, mainland media reported yesterday.
The 39 illegal sites were built along the Chishui River and its tributaries, 'the province's only undeveloped river', Xinhua reported.
For decades, Guizhou Maotai, the manufacturer of the strong sorghum-based spirit, has been drawing water from the Chishui River to make its internationally renowned liquor, the beverage used to toast the founding of the People's Republic of China and the designated drink for state banquets.
Late premier Zhou Enlai reportedly forbade any plants to be built on the Chishui River upstream of Guizhou Maotai factory to ensure its water purity.
But in recent years many liquor factories have sprung up in Maotai township in Guizhou, the area considered the home of maotai, and the water quality of the river has been deteriorating due to increasing human activities, according to Xinhua.
'Most of these 39 illegal liquor plants don't have land use or environmental protection approval. The waste water and air has been directly released to the [area] and ... is seriously threatening the environmental security of the Chishui River and the Maotai production base,' the report said.