China's premier promised aid to the thirsty city of Harbin on Saturday, where millions suffered a fourth day without mains water after a river chemical spill so big it threatens Russians hundreds of miles downstream, Reuters reported. Wen Jiabao, visiting the northeastern city, also pledged openness about the incident on behalf of a communist leadership often accused at home and abroad of covering up the truth of disasters, disease outbreaks and social problems. A surge of toxic chemicals, pouring down the Songhua river after an explosion at a chemical plant, was expected to have passed through Harbin by early Sunday morning, allowing officials to turn on the taps again for its 9 million people. Soldiers and workers raced to ensure water would be drinkable when it starts flowing late on Sunday or early on Monday, installing special charcoal filters at plants, state media said. "The work you are doing now will ensure the safety of drinking water for the people," Wen told the soldiers, before stopping at a supermarket to check bottled water prices and visiting a university to urge students to stay calm. He promised an investigation into the pollution incident. The mains network was shut down on Tuesday evening to protect residents from around 100 tonnes of cancer-causing benzene compounds, spilt into the Songhua river. Benzene levels in Harbin had fallen below official safety limits at midday on Saturday, from levels 30 times above on Friday morning, although other compounds still exceeded safety standards, the city government Web site said. The spill could affect hundreds of thousands more people in China alone as it heads downstream.
