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Chinese City Launches Backup Water Supply As River Pollution Nears

Posted on: Friday, 2 December 2005, 12:00 CST

Text of report in English by official Chinese news agency Xinhua (New China News Agency)

Harbin, 2 December: As the pollution stretch on northeast China's Songhua River moves downstream, Jiamusi, the second largest city on the lower reaches, has launched a backup water source north of the river to ensure safe water supply.

The backup source, known as Jiangbei water source, is a long- term project designed to supply 200,000 tons of quality ground water per day. Its construction is almost completed and the project will start operation before the pollution belt arrives in Jiamusi on 6 December, said a spokesman with the city government Friday [2 December].

The government is also having deeper wells dug across the city to ensure water safety.

Altogether 192,000 people live in 159 villages along the one- kilometre Songhua River banks in Jiamusi. The 20,000 wells they use are all shallow and susceptible to river water pollution.

Sub-freezing temperature has slowed down the speed of the pollution stretch but the pollutant density is still high, the provincial environment watchdog has warned.

The water pollution was caused by a chemical plant blast on 13 November in the neighbouring Jilin Province, resulting in serious leakage of poisonous substances into the Songhua River.

Harbin, capital of Heilongjiang with the Songhua as its main water supply source, enforced a four-day suspension of water supply on 24 November.

Currently, the water supply in Harbin has resumed and water quality at all water supply stations have met national standards.

Source: BBC Monitoring Asia Pacific

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