BEIJING : China's capital Beijing plans to set up a special quality control system in time for next year's Olympics to ensure bottled drinking water is safe, state media reported Monday.
The move comes after revelations in the local media that almost half the bottled water sold in Beijing, sometimes under famous brand names and usually in 20-litre (5.2-gallon) barrels, had been filled with tap water, the China Daily said.
"We received complaints that some small water sellers are cheating consumers with bogus (branded) water," Bai Jianguo, an official with the Beijing bureau of quality and technical supervision, was quoted as saying.
It was not clear if it is the sellers or manufacturers who are responsible for the scam.
Under the new system, barrels of water will receive a unique label, enabling users to check the authenticity of the water by Internet or text message.
Earlier reports have indicated that as many as 300 million Chinese, nearly one in every four, drink unsanitary or unsafe water.
- AFP/il
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