Tap water in Guangzhou ‘safe’, say authorities, after state TV report alleges high levels of antibiotics found in Pearl River

The authorities in Guangzhou say the city’s tap water is safe to drink after a state-run television report alleged there were excessive amount of antibiotics in China’s rivers, the Guangzhou Daily reported.

The report on national television said water from the Pearl River in Guangzhou contained up to four times the legal limit of antibiotics allowed in developed countries such as the United States.

Farmers in China often use antibiotics in feed for animals and fish, allowing the drugs to filter into the water supply.

Rivers with high levels of antibiotics in central and eastern China also included the Yangtze and the Huangpu, which runs through Shanghai, the television report said.

The municipal water supply company in Guangzhou said tap water was drawn from six safe and clean stretches of the Pearl River, rather than a polluted section in the city itself.

The water company said the city’s tap water met national standards, the Guangzhou Daily reported.