Government of Chinese beach resort admits reservoirs polluted, but assures drinking water meets national standards

Garbage and pesticides are polluting drinking water in a popular tourist resort in southern China, posing a threat to its ambitions to become China’s top tourism destination.

The government of Sanya, a popular beach holiday area in Hainan province, admitted in a press conference on Thursday that the city’s sources of drinking water were being polluted by large amounts of waste and pesticide.

The admission came after local media reports recently that a large amount of residential waste was littering all six reservoirs that supply drinking water to the city.

Fruit plantations also used pesticides near the reservoirs, which prompted concern among some local residents, the reports said.