New app monitors water quality

The Shanghai Water Authority released a smartphone application Sunday that allows residents to monitor the quality of their tap water, local media reported.

The application displays the water quality at the water plants of a dozen or so water companies in the city, according to a news report on Shanghai Dragon Television.

The app shows the levels of bacteria, total chlorine and colon bacillus, as well as government standards for each of the pollutants. After opening the app, users only need to select the water company that supplies their homes. They can also check the size of the daily water supply, the report said.

The application aims to give residents a more convenient way to monitor the quality of the water supply, especially during emergencies, said Tang Xuelei, an official with the Shanghai Water Supply Management Office.

The information in the app has been available on the water companies' websites since 2008, according to a press release from the Shanghai Water Supply Management Office.

Still, the app suffers from several drawbacks, residents said.

Because it only shows the quality of the water tested at the plants, it won't alert residents to problems with water that becomes contaminated in the city's pipe system.

"The tap water at my home sometimes tastes rusty. It might be getting contaminated on its way from the water plant," said a resident surnamed Mao. "The water authority should take measures to ensure the pipe system is clean."

The Shanghai Water Authority has taken steps to monitor the quality of the water traveling through the pipe system, said Chen Yuanming, the authority's director.

The authority has installed 100 monitoring stations around the system and its officials inspect the tap water at residents' homes twice a month, Chen told Shanghai Dragon Television.

The water authority plans to continue to improve the app so it can inform users about water prices, repair projects and emergencies, the press release said.

Residents can download the app at the Shanghai Water Authority's website, wsa.gov.cn.