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Water flowing through Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions is safe to drink despite the increasing number of environmental incidents on the Pearl River in recent years, the river's monitor agency said.

There has been a string of environmental scandals across the country in recent years in the wake of the construction boom of chemical plants alongside rivers.

"So far, pollutants in the Pearl River can be diluted and absorbed within certain river sections, which pose no substantial impact on the whole river," Liu Zhisen, an official on water resources protection from the Pearl River Water Resources Commission, told China Daily.

"The quality of river water sources to Hong Kong and Macao is up to grade II, a higher standard for drinking water," he said.

The Pearl River, China's third-longest river, is a major water supplier to Hong Kong and Macao.

Since the 1990s, Dongjiang River, a trunk stream of the Pearl River, has satisfied 70 to 80 percent of Hong Kong's fresh water demand.

In a recent case in January, cadmium pollution in the upper Longjiang River posed a potential threat to the water supply in the downstream city of Liuzhou, which has 3.7 million residents.

Cadmium is a highly toxic heavy metal used in batteries, electroplating and industrial paints. Exposure can lead to liver and kidney damage, and result in death.

Since the Longjiang River flows into the Pearl River, people in Hong Kong and Macao were worried about the safety of their water supply.

Last year, authorities handled 542 environmental incidents across the country, according to statistics from the Ministry of Environmental Protection.

Questions:

1. What is the name of China’s third-longest river?

2. Where does it supply water to?

3. How many environmental incidents were handled by authorities last year?

Answers:

1. Pearl River.

2. Hong Kong and Macao.

3. 542.

（中國日報網英語點津 Helen 編輯）

About the broadcaster:

Lee Hannon is Chief Editor at China Daily with 15-years experience in print and broadcast journalism. Born in England, Lee has traveled extensively around the world as a journalist including four years as a senior editor in Los Angeles. He now lives in Beijing and is happy to move to China and join the China Daily team.