Increasingly, China's rivers seem to be flowing with more than just water, as reports of dead animal carcasses being dredged from rivers continue to increase.

Nearly 1,000 dead ducks have been pulled from a section of the Nanhe River in Pengshan County, southwest of China's Sichuan Province, according to the latest reports.

According to Chinese officials, the river was not used for drinking water and there is no risk to humans or livestock.

The duck carcasses were found collected in woven plastic bags floating on the river in southwestern China by locals, who reported the find to authorities.

The dead ducks were collected and buried nearly 10 feet below ground, according to the state-run Xinhua news agency.

A cause of death has not been identified, as many of the ducks were already decomposing when they were found. Officials are investigating into whether any farms are responsible for dumping the dead ducks into the river, the report stated.

A report by the BBC indicated that officials looking into the case of dead ducks believe the carcasses were dumped upstream and were not dumped by local Pengshan farmers.

The find comes in the wake of 16,000 dead pigs found clogging a river in Shanghai and reports of dead pigs, chickens and ducks found in Hunan province.

News of so many dead animals found in China's rivers has ignited a wave of public concern. The BBC translated several comments from weibo, China's version of Twitter.

"Dead pigs, dead ducks... this soup is getting thicker and thicker," wrote one person.

"The dead pigs haven't even disappeared yet, and now the dead ducks emerge - does this society enjoy being competitive?" asked another.