Drinking water in Macao called safe  

重金属污染贺江 澳门港务局：供澳饮用水安全(图)

据《澳门日报》报道，澳门特区政府正密切关注西江支流贺江受到重金属镉和铊污染事件。澳门港务局强调，目前供澳饮用水暂无受影响，居民可放心饮用；若出现最坏情况，澳门也有水库库存应付。珠海6日晚已启动供水应急机制，对市内各取水口实行24小时严密监测，检验水质的安全。[查看全文]

(ECNS) -- The drinking water in Macao is still safe, after pollution was found 400 kilometers from its drinking water supply, Macao Daily said, citing the local maritime administration.

A segment of Hejiang River was found polluted by heavy metals cadmium and thallium this month, which has killed fish in its lower reaches. Hejiang River is located in the Guangxi autonomous region, and flows into Xi River in Guangdong province, the source of Macao's drinking water.

The Macao Maritime Administration assured the public that neither the raw water nor the drinking water supplied to Macao is polluted.

As it will take one to two days for the polluted water to flow to the Pearl River estuary, the Macao Water Co will measure the levels of cadmium and thallium in the river.

These tests will be done in Zhuhai, with samples taken for three consecutive days.

An official from the administration said mainland authorities have taken measures to prevent the pollution from spreading, such as increasing the flow rate of the river and damming the affected water.

He also said that the water kept in storage at the local reservoir can meet demands in the worst-case scenario. Zhuhai can also help with its supply in storage, he added.