Salinity keeps rising despite assurances
Dwindling reserves are continuing to push up the salinity of Zhuhai's and Macau's drinking water after the latest failure to draw supplies from the Xijiang, or West River.
Local media have again warned of rationing in Macau after Zhuhai cut off supplies to its bathhouses and car-wash businesses.
Zhuhai's tap water has recently reached a salinity level of 800mg a litre, more than three times the World Health Organisation's standard of 250mg a litre and up from 600mg recorded earlier this month.
In January Macau suffered the 'most serious salinity crisis we've had in the past 20 years', according to Franklin Willemyns, executive director of the Macau Water Supply Company. 'Our prediction right now is that in any case the situation will not get worse,' he was quoted as saying at the time.
In recent weeks the city has been struggling to supply raw water to Macau at a salinity of 600mg a litre. As a result, the salinity level of Macau's drinking water is drawing close to 600mg a litre.