On May, 22, authorities halted water supply of Wuxi: the water of the only resource of the city turned into a blue-green color. The abnormal ratio of an blue algae appears few monts ago, contaminating the tap water. One week later, the situation reached a stable level and met the standards for a drinkable water, according to the local health authorities. But Hu Weiping, a biologist with Nanjing Academy of Sciences, told the China News Service that the algae bloom could remain for another four or five months.

Today, workers try to contain the contamination by cleaning the water with potassium permanganate and collecting tons of algae. Water was also diverted from the Yangtze River to dilute the lake water. The bloom triggered by the uncontrolled discharges of industrial water pollution of printing, dyeing, pharmaceutical and chemical plants and wastewater of 2 millions peoples. According to China Daily, along with the clean up, higher standards will be imposed on the treated wastewater discharged into the lake. “The city will monitor 22 key polluting companies and another 502 factories will need to be licensed to discharge waste,” said Liu Hongzhi, vice mayor of Wuxi city in Jiangsu Province.

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The AFP reported on June,1st the witness of a Wuxi inhabitant: “The tap water is like waste water. It smells so bad that you want to throw up,” a downtown shop owner surnamed Li said. This is the third day that the water has been like this. If you wash with the water you end up smelling like it. Stores in the city of five million people in Jiangsu province began rationing sales of bottled water Wednesday”, Li said.

But the crisis emphazises a major problem in the chinese authorities system: even a seven year project was in place but the founds seem to have been thrown away, letting the project deficient. A problem that had already occured with the cleaning up the wastewater of the Dianchi Lake in Kunming and the Huaihe River.

Polluted lake spurs race for water -Robert SAIGNET, AFP – The Standard; 06/01/07 http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?we_cat=3&art_id=45771&sid=13865617&con_type=3&d_str=20070601

Water crisis forces officials to do more – Xinhua Agency – China Daily; 04/06/07

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2007-06/04/content_886901.htm

Taihu lake pollution: Net frenzy and government response – Jeremy Goldkorn; 06/01/07

http://www.danwei.org/bbs/taihu_lake_pollution_the_inter.php