The quality of tap water in the financial center of Shanghai complies with China's safety standards for drinking water, said a spokesman with the municipal government on Wednesday.

When answering questions at a regular press congress, government spokesman Jiao Yang said that the 2005 official water quality censor proved that the major index qualification rate of the tap water in Shanghai was as high as 99.95 percent, above the required 98 percent.

Jiao said the municipal government has attached great importance to maintaining the quality of tap water for which the government's appropriation has accumulated 5 billion yuan (US$625 million).

In response to some complaints that the running water is a yellow color, Jiao said it is attributed to the rust of pipelines in some part of the city, which are either outdated or badly installed.

The city plans to renovate the water pipeline system in the old district areas in the city, Jiao said, underlining that the priority of environmental treatment has been towards the suburban area this year.

(Xinhua News Agency March 16, 2006)