A blue-green algae bloom is threatening the water quality of a
lake that provides drinking water for over?5 million people in
the city of Wuxi, Jiangsu Province.
Local residents flocked to buy bottled water and bread after a
blue-green algae bloom appeared on Tuesday in Taihu Lake, making
the water smell unpleasant.
The price of an 18-liter bottle of water sold by street peddlers
had risen from eight yuan to 50 yuan on Wednesday night.
Initial investigations show the water level of Taihu Lake is at
its lowest in 50 years this summer due to continuous high
temperatures and lack of rain, which caused an excess of nutrients
in the water.
The city government is planning to artificially induce rain on
Thursday or Friday to dilute lake water, and the provincial
government has agreed to divert more water from the Yangtze River
to the lake.
Local authorities are closely monitoring the supplies of the
bottled water in 10 supermarkets and have allocated more bottled
water from neighboring regions.
The affected population is mostly in the city districts, but the
local government is still counting the exact number who have been
affected by the blue-green algae bloom.
Local authorities are closely monitoring the water quality
around the clock and Yang Weize, secretary of the Wuxi Municipal
Committee of the Communist Party of China, vowed on Wednesday to
guarantee safe drinking water "at all costs."
Blue-green algae is a simple aquatic plant life that occurs
naturally in rivers, lakes, damp soil, tree trunks, hot springs,
and snow. "Bloom" is the common term used to describe an increase
in the number of algal cells to a point where they can discolor the
water, form scum, produce unpleasant tastes and odors, affect
shellfish and fish populations, or otherwise create a nuisance and
seriously reduce the water quality.
(Xinhua News Agency May 31, 2007)
