A toxic slick of polluted river water reached the outskirts of one of China's biggest cities on Thursday, nearly two weeks after an explosion at a petrochemical plant upstream.
China said the blast had caused major pollution, spilling benzene compounds into the Songhua River from which Harbin, capital of the north-eastern province of Heilongjiang, draws its drinking water. Harbin is home to nine million people, including three million urban residents.
Local officials warned residents to be on the lookout for symptoms of benzene poisoning, which in heavy doses can cause anaemia and other blood disorders, as well as kidney and liver damage.
In a sign of how the spill has jarred national nerves about widespread pollution, Prime Minister Wen Jiabao issued instructions demanding safe drinking water be ensured.
In Heilongjiang, Governor Zhang Zuoji ordered hospitals to brace for possible cases of poisoning and promised to drink the first glass of water from city taps once the pollution passes.
According to initial estimates, the explosion resulted in 100 tonnes of benzene and related products being released into the water, deputy head of the State Environmental Protection Administration, Zhang Lijun, told a news conference.
A provincial government spokesman said the 80-km (50-mile) stretch of pollution passed Harbin's water supply inlet early on Thursday and would flow beyond the city on Saturday. Water supplies could resume partially as early as Sunday, Xinhua said. Harbin's mayor, Shi Zhongxin, said the water would at first be unsuitable for drinking.
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