Three Gorges reservoir water ‘clean again’
Print Edition
WATER in a reservoir in the Three Gorges Reservoir Region appears to be clean again following a pollution incident last week, officials said yesterday.
And all of the 50,000 people who had their tap water cut off as a result will be reconnected to alternative sources by Wednesday, they added.
Last Wednesday, water in the Qianzhangyan Reservoir, in Chongqing City in southwest China, was polluted by untreated waste water discharged by an sulfur concentrate washery in neighboring Hubei Province.
Residents in three nearby towns were alarmed to find pungent-smelling green and then black water flowing from their taps.
Supplies were suspended, leaving them reliant of supplies brought in by the local government and fire department.
But yesterday, following purification treatment, the government of Wushan County announced that the water seemed clean.
Following 11 hours of chemical purification between 8pm Saturday and 7am yesterday, water in Qianzhangyan Reservoir is clear again, said the county government.
Data collected yesterday showed all pollution indicators had been brought within safety standards, suggesting that the water is non-toxic, it added.
Staff will keep monitoring water quality while officials formulate plans to resume supplies from Qianzhangyan Reservoir.
This will be carried out once health authorities confirm that the water is safe to drink, added the local government.
Qianzhangyan Reservoir, with a capacity of 4.05 million cubic meters, is 15 kilometers from the Yangtze River and usually provides drinking water for some residents in three nearby towns.
Supplies to 50,000 people were affected by the pollution, Xinhua news agency reported earlier.
Investigations by Wushan County and neighboring Shijian County in Hubei concluded that the pollutants — sodium ethyl xanthate and a foaming agent — came from a sulfur concentrate washery in Jianshi County. It was closed on Thursday.
Chongqing’s environmental protection bureau said there were toxic levels of organic matter in the water.
Supplies were brought in for affected residents and alternative reservoir supplies have since been diverted to most households.
Work is ongoing to ensure all are connected to alternative mains sources by Wednesday, said the county government.
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