A relevant official from the MEP notified the latest environmental monitoring results of the quake-hit areas to the public today. As the monitoring results showed, the monitored indicators of the 71 drinking water source areas of the quake-hit areas in Sichuan, Shaanxi, Gansu and Chongqing all met relevant water quality standards, and the air quality remained stable in quake-stricken cities.

The official noted that the environmental monitoring departments of the four above provinces and municipality have further upgraded efforts in water quality monitoring from May 18~19. As indicated by the water quality monitoring results of the 71 drinking water source areas in 48 cities (prefecture) and counties, the indicators of all the monitoring sites were up to Grade III water quality standard stipulated in Environmental Quality Standards for Surface Water and Quality Standard for Ground Water except that the indicator of oil substances monitored at the section of Linjiangsi in Ziyang City surpassed the relevant standard.

The official also indicated that the latest monitoring data have shown the water quality of the Longdong section in Panzhihua on the trunk stream of the Yangtze River, the Zhutuo section (trans-provincial section of Sichuan and Chongqing) on the trunk stream of the Yangtze River and the Nanjinguan section in Yichang of the Three Gorges Reservoir mouth (Three Gorges Reservoir water mouth) were all up to Grade II standard, the Leshan Min River Bridge section on Min River was of Grade III, the section of Liangjianggou in Yibin at the Min River estuary into the Yangtze River was of Grade II, the section of Tuo River No. 2 Bridge in Luzhou at the Tuo River estuary into the Yangtze River was of Grade II, and the section of Qingfengxia in Guangyuan city of Sichuan province on the Jialing River (the trans-provincial section of Shaanxi and Sichuan) was of Grade I.

The official mentioned that by 12 o'clock today, the air quality of the major urban areas of Chongqing municipality is fine; Chengdu, Deyang, Zigong, Panzhihua, Luzhou, Mianyang, Nanchong and Yibin of Sichuan province is fine; Tongchuan, Xianyang and Yan'an of Shaanxi province is good, Xi'an, Baoji and Weinan of Shaanxi is fine, while Lanzhou and Jinchang of Gansu province is fine. The air quality of all these cities witnessed no remarkable change than that before the quake.