Algae blamed for Wuxi water shortage

SHANGHAI: A fast-spreading, foul-smelling, blue-green algae has smothered a lake in eastern China, contaminating the local water supply for millions of people and sparking panic buying of bottled water in Wuxi, Jiangsu Province.

Despite efforts by the government since Tuesday to dilute the pollutant in Taihu Lake, the country's third largest freshwater lake, the public has complained of their tap water being smelly and yellow-colored.

"I have not seen any change and the tap water is still so smelly that I don't even want to use it to wash my hands," Xu Xiaobo, a Wuxi resident, told China Daily yesterday.

Xu said that her family now drank only bottled water and used a well in their garden for all their other needs.

"I searched two convenience stores close to my home before managing to find four small bottles of water at the bottom of a freezer.

"The sales clerks said I was very lucky," she said.

Despite reassurances from the city government that the tap water conforms to all health standards, except for the smell, most people in this industrial city are rushing to stock up on bottled water.

Local supermarkets are now running short and have requested extra supplies be shipped in from neighboring cities. As a result, bottled water has soared to twice and even as much as six times its original price.

Xu said: "I know someone who drives to nearby Zhangjiagang and Jiangyin just to buy bottled water.

"I also heard that the situation will be improved on June 6."

As part of a plan released by the local government this week, efforts such as channeling from nearby water sources and using artificial rain are being made to clear away the foul water.

The lake, which is generally a tourist attraction, has been contaminated with a rampant algae that now covers 70 percent of its surface. Its water level is also the lowest in 50 years.

The Wuxi Water Company, the city's supplier, has also spent more than 60,000 yuan ($7,850) on chemicals to eliminate the algae and odor.

The company said that waste from nearby factories and the warm winter spurred the growth of algae, which first appeared in April.

The algae doesn't normally appear in the lake until June, during the rainy season, when the lower temperatures and abundant rainfall inhibits the negative influence of the water plant.

But this year, with the water level being so low, silt from the bottom of the lake has floated to the surface. The dying algae consume the oxygen in the still water and cause it to rot, which creates the bad smell.

According to China Business News, Coca-Cola has stopped production at its Wuxi factory due to the poor water quality.

The local government told the media yesterday that it was closely monitoring the lake, sending more staff to clean the algae and opening more sluices on the nearby Yangtze and Meiliang rivers to dilute the tainted water.

There have so far been no complaints from neighboring cities about the foul water.

An official surnamed Fu with Shanghai's water administration said that it will not influence the city, although one of its water sources is close to the area.

"Algae grows only in still water and the water source for Shanghai flows, therefore it cannot survive," he said.

"But we are carefully monitoring our water sources."

Environmental pollution is becoming a major concern in the country.

In late 2005, the tap water in Harbin, in Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, was cut off for weeks after a toxic spill polluted the nearby Songhua River and affected drinking water.

Source: China Daily