International
'Black' tap water affects one lakh people in China

Beijing, July 25 (PTI): Tap water supplies have returned to normal in the northwest Chinese city of Yulin in Shaanxi Province after 100,000 people found the water running black due to manganese dioxide sediment in the pipes.

The sediment was washed through the pipes and discoloured the water when the water pressure changed on Saturday morning, an official from Yulin Tap Water Company said.

He claimed that the manganese dioxide sediment was not harmful to humans.

The company opened five sluices on the water grid and discharged 10,000 tonnes of contaminated water while householders discharged another 30,000 tonnes through their taps, Xinhua news agency reported.

Half of the city's daily tap water consumption of 30,000 tonnes come from Hongshixia reservoir, which was rich in manganese.

The Yulin government installed the equipment in 2000 to remove manganese from the water, but it found no way to deal with the manganese dioxide sediment that has been inside the pipes for decades, the report said.

Domestic water supplies have been in the spotlight in China since May, after Taihu, Chaohu and Dianchi lakes were choked by blue-green algae outbreaks, halting water supplies to millions.