Drinking water to 60,000 people was cut off on Monday in eastern China's Jiangxi Province after an oil leak.
 
Local water officials spotted oily substance was on the Liaohe River close to an inlet for the water supply.
 
[Cheng Yingming, Deputy Manager, Water Supply Company]:
"We are now putting oil absorbent mats in the polluted water. Then we take back the mats (full of) oil and put clean ones in the water. We will continue to do this for now."
 
State media reports that a leak from an oil product pipeline upstream is responsible. The pipeline belongs to a subsidiary of state-run oil giant Sinopec.
 
Xinhua reports that the oil pipeline has been turned off.
 
Industrial water pollution has plagued Chinese cities as they undergo economic expansion.
 
In January, authorities had to cut off the water supply to Handan, a city of around 9 million people in Hebei province, following a massive toxic chemical spill.