The water quality has to be monitored strictly after the resumption of water supply Sunday in Harbin, capital city of northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, said a high-ranking official here Saturday.

As Harbin, still amid a four-day water crisis, will see water supply resume at 11 p.m. on Sunday, Li Yizhong, head of the state work safety watchdog, said, adding local government should ensure the high-quality water supply to help locals return to the the normal production and life order.

Li is a member of a work group of the State Council, China's central government, which consists of ranking officials from eightmajor departments of the central authorities and left for Harbin Friday to probe into the water pollution.

The water cut-off in Harbin, a riverside city that depends on the Songhua River for water sourcing, began from wee hours on Wednesday because a blast occurred in a chemical plant at the vicinity of one of the river's main tributary early this month.

Li also required monitoring and testing water quality in the Songhua River downstream or below the ice layer when the river turns freezing later as the climate turns much colder.

Moreover, Li called for evaluating the river pollution on localwater environment.

Source: Xinhua