River contamination leads to water supply cut-off in N China

The Handan city government said the cut-off was caused by an accident in the neighboring Shanxi Province where industrial pollutants poured into the upper reaches of the Zhanghe River.

The city has cut off its water supply from the reservoir located on the river and switched to another underground water source. Shanxi authorities said they received the accident report on Saturday.

The report said a flexible tube rupture at a chemical plant caused aniline leak on December 31. An emergency response had been initiated to stop the leak and clean up the pollutants. Cities along the river have all been warned to be on alert.