About 700 tons of liquid alkali had to be dumped into a section of China's Grand Canal to neutralize 200 tons of concentrated sulfuric acid which leaked from a ship in east China's Zhejiang Province, local environmental sources said Friday.

Water quality in the polluted areas is improving but has still not reached normal standards, said Shen Liyue, an official with the Environmental Protection Bureau of Yuhang District of Hangzhou, the provincial capital.

The leakage occurred early Thursday morning when a ship carrying 200 tons of concentrated sulfuric acid ran aground in the Yuhang section of the canal, a waterway linking Beijing with Hangzhou built in the 10th century.

Navigation along the Yuhang section and the upper reaches of the river was temporarily banned but resumed late Thursday afternoon.

The ship, two thirds of which sank under the water, was removed from the river on Friday.

The district said it had informed water users along the section about the leakage accident to ensure it does not harm people's lives.

Environmental officials are monitoring water quality continuously near the leakage site.

The neutralization work is still underway at press time.
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Local authorities are considering diverting water from a nearby river to dilute water at the leakage area, according to Shen.

The total length of the canal is 1794 kilometers. The navigable sections, mainly between Jining City of Shandong Province and Zhejiang, stretch for about 1,000 kilometers.

(Xinhua News Agency August 5, 2006)