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More than 300,000 people in Wuhan, Hubei province, have been struggling to find sufficient safe water, even though three water plants that were closed resumed supplying water on Thursday.

Zhao Jianguo, spokesman for the Wuhan Environmental Protection Bureau, confirmed that the three water plants had been shut down because of excessive levels of ammonia-nitrogen.

Local authorities who monitor water quality in the Hanjiang River, a major source of water for the megacity of 10 million, found it polluted with the chemical on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, the water plants were closed when the chemical was found at their gates, although authorities said no abnormal amount was found in pipes servicing residents' homes.

Still, more than 300,000 people who relied on the plants were switched to water from other plants. Subsequent supplies were intermittent, stopping periodically because of unstable pressures in the pipelines, authorities said.

In residential areas, people carried containers outside, waiting in line for water from public pipes that normally supply water for landscaping and other non-potable uses.

The water residents collected could be used for some household purposes, though not for cooking or drinking without treatment.

An elderly woman in Dongxihu district, who gave her family name as Li, said she would not drink tap water nor use it for cooking because she didn't trust it.

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