HARBIN, Nov. 27 (Xinhuanet) -- When he took the first drink of water, Zhang Zuoji not only cashed in his promise made a few days ago to the Harbin citizens, but also dispelled their worries about the water quality.

    Zhang, governor of northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, took the move in the house of the 75-year-old citizen Pang Yucheng to tell the public the northeastern Chinese city of Harbin resumed water supply at 6:00 p.m. on Sunday since cutoff Wednesday over pollution fears.

    "The water is a little bit hot but tastes very sweet," said Zhang after having a sip of a glass of hot water.

    "But I'm not talking about the indicator of the water, which needs confirmation of experts. If experts say OK, you can drink," he told reporters and the family of Pang, who is living in the Daoli District of Harbin.

    Harbin, capital of Heilongjiang Province and city of 3.8 million people, has been forced to shut down its water supply system from the wee hours of Wednesday because of a highly polluted water stretch in the Songhua River, which supplies most of the water to the populous city.

    Toxic benzene and nitrobenzene flew into the Songhua River, following a blast with China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) Jilin Petrochemical company, a petrochemical plant in Jilin Province, a close neighbor of Heilongjiang Province, on Nov. 13.

    Benzene is a clear, colorless, highly refractive flammable liquid that is derived from petroleum and used in or to manufacture a wide variety of chemical products, including detergents, insecticides and motor fuels.

    Before the city shut down its water supply system, Zhang made a promise that he would have the first drink of water after resumption four days later.

    Now, he kept his words. "No speech and ceremony today, I just want to share, in the family atmosphere, with everybody the clean water that we have been expecting," he said.

    "I took the first drink to fulfil the government's solemn promise made a few days ago to the citizens that water supply will be restored," Zhang told Xinhua.

    "It was also meant to reassure the public and dispel their worries," he added.

    While Pang's never thought of the governor would have come here for the first drink, though all of them have heard of Zhang's promise.

    "We feel much relieved when we saw the governor took the first drink and we have nothing to worry about any more," said Ma Zhixin, wife of Pang Yucheng. Enditem