The quality of tap water in Guangzhou and Shenzhen is the worst in Guangdong, with 40 per cent of drinking water in the capital failing to meet safety standards.
A provincial Environmental Protection Department report found water quality in Guangdong deteriorated in the first quarter of this year compared with the same period last year.
Guangzhou and Shenzhen - with nearly 30 million residents between them - have the worst records. Only 60.1 per cent of tap water in the provincial capital met national safety standards, while the figure was 80.2 per cent in Shenzhen.
The quality of tap water in Shenzhen had dropped by a shocking 19.8 per cent year on year, the report said. It did not explain the reasons.
This is in stark contrast with an earlier report by the Shenzhen government. In April, city authorities released a water quality report saying 98.07 per cent of its tap water had met safety standards. In that report, the Shenzhen government also said the tap-water quality was improving.
The provincial report found high levels of bacteria, iron, ammonia, nitrogen and fluoride in water samples collected from five reservoirs in Guangzhou and two in Shenzhen.