Qingyi River water became saturated with mud yesterday. Urban residents found large numbers of dead fish in the river. [SCOL.com.cn]

The official website of Ya'an City Government, in southwest China's Sichuan Province yesterday morning published an important notice: the city's tap water company had suspended the supply of tap water because the Qingyi River had become saturated by large quantities of mud and sand. 130,000 urban residents have been affected, reported the Beijing News on October 17.

Two China Huaneng Group (CHNG) power stations had emptied their reservoirs for an overhaul. The outflow of water carried an enormous quantity of mud and sand into the Qingyi River, multiplying the normal content of the river by a factor of 1000.

The tap water company's three water resources were all polluted, forcing it to suspend the water supply at about 11:00 PM on October 15.

There is still no water supply in some areas of the city. A hospital nurse, Miss You, said that she hasn't washed her hair for two days and that she has to borrow some water from her downstairs neighbor in order to cook dinner. Another local, Miss Wang told the reporter that the Yucheng District has been worst affected.

Qingyi River zigzags through Ya'an City. Usually its waters are clear and attractive. But yesterday it suddenly turned into a river of mud.