When it rains, it pours; but with water, water flowing everywhere at the site of a broken water main, some Guangzhou residents are finding that they don’t have a drop to drink.

Early this morning, a water main ruptured in the vicinity of Panyu and has caused a disruption of service at the South Guangzhou Water Plant and resulted in the loss of 500,000 tons of fresh water, reported Guangzhou Daily.

The ruptured main has compromised service to the southern part of the city including areas of University Town, Tianhe District and Yuexiu District. A rough estimation of areas affected would include areas of Guangzhou going north up to Huangpu Boulevard, west over to Liberation Middle Road, and east over to Huanan Expressway.

As for how bad the situation has gotten, some residents of University Town had already complained of a lack of water this morning while it is currently reported that water pressure has now dropped 30% for residents in Haizhu District. Residents in apartments above five floors now must employ water pumps to draw water up for use.

While other water plants are currently trying to divert a supply over to the affected areas, repairs are estimated to require 1-2 days to complete.

Meanwhile in the “It Can Get Worse, You Know” category, the water supply in Lanzhou has recently be found to contain benzene, causing city residents to panic purchase all of the city’s remaining bottled water.

Photos: Guangzhou Daily