Pollution incidents forced the shutdown of the century-old power station In May 2004, abundant rainfall did not make the workers of the hydropower station, which was ushering in the golden production season, smile and laugh. At that moment, the company's leaders were looking at a badly corroded runner with a worried frown. "The water was heavy in those two days, we tried to turn the old machine on, and it only ran for 12 days before the runner leaves corroded and broke." Wastewater discharged by chemical companies upstream of the Mantis River has not only corroded the runner, but even the stone walls of the barrage have been corroded to the point of leaking.
China's first hydroelectric power plant, which never fell even during the war against Japan, was forced to shut down because of pollution. The news, first reported by local media in Yunnan, drew great attention from the whole community. Several sewage enterprises at the upper reaches of the Mantis River have installed sewage treatment facilities to meet sewage standards. However, the hard-hit Shilongba Hydropower Station eventually received only 40,000 yuan in compensation from the two enterprises, which was not even enough to repair the corroded runners. It was not until 2007 that Shilongba paid off the loan, and the situation gradually improved.