Shanghai's tap water quality is normal, with more than 99.9 percent of samples meeting state standards, said the Municipal Water Affairs Bureau, after a reporter from Taiwan had complained to Premier Wen Jiabao yesterday that the tap water in Shanghai appeared to be yellow and undrinkable, International Finance News reported.

"What the reporter said was entirely unjustifiable and irresponsible," the bureau said. "We have kept a good record on the tap water quality for many years."

Monitoring records kept by a state authority of urban water supply in 2005 showed that 99.95 percent of the samples from Shanghai's city center met state standards in the three major test items of residual chlorine, turbidity, bacteria. The Ministry of Construction only requires 98 percent in its quality checks on tap water.

"It is not abnormal when tap water appears to be yellow," said the northern branch of the city's tap water supply company. "It is mainly caused by the rust inside the old galvanized iron water pipes. When a faucet is not in use for a long period, rust tends to accumulate in the pipes and causes the contamination in the water."

However, there is no evidence to show that such water is harmful, it may at the very least leave small traces on clothes or towels of light colors, the company said.

The municipal government has invested 5.2 billion yuan (US$647 million) in improving the city's tap water quality over the last two decades. Currently 70 percent of residents use tap water sourced from the upper reaches of the Huangpu River and the other 30 percent use water sourced from the Yangtze River.

(Shanghai Daily March 15, 2006)