Salty tide threatens Pearl Delta

Li Xinran

2005-12-28 Via Shanghai Daily

A SERIOUS salty tide has threatened the Pearl River Delta and will last a few days, a Guangzhou-based newspaper reported today.

It has affected the water supply to some major cities in the area including Zhuhai and Zhongshan, the newspaper said.

The Zhuhai water authorities have implemented the emergency plan and suspended tap water to sauna and bathing industries. The greening, gardening and environmental sanitation departments of the city began to use water from a wastewater treatment plant.

The Zhuhai government has asked people to drink bottled water and use water thriftily.

The newspaper said Zhuhai had planned to bring water from Zhongshan to resist the salty tide, but the water source in Danzhou, a district of Zhongshan, was also affected by the tide.

So the provincial government and the governments of Zhuhai and Zhongshan decided to bring water from Beijiang River to resist the salty water and ensure the drinking safety of the two cities.

The newspaper said the salty tide was mainly caused by a severe drought in South China since September and a strong astronomical tide at the beginning of the month.

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