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A power crunch has cut off running water supply in Huaihua, a city in central China's Hunan Province, leaving about 150,000 people in thirst, the local government has confirmed.

Overpressure caused equipment failure at the No. 2 Running Water Company of Huaihua, the city's largest running water supplier, on Sunday morning and repair work is expected to last until Tuesday night, said Ouyang Jianguo, an official in charge ofthe city's water supply, on Tuesday.

Though the city launched a standby water supplier, the No. 1 Running Water Company, at 4:00 PM on Monday, Ouyang said its supply capacity is only half that of the broken-down system and cannot ease the thirst immediately.

"Thousands of people living in high-rises are still in dire thirst and have to buy bottled water," he said.

Water supply will fully resume by 8:00 AM Wednesday, said Zhang Wenxiong, a top official in Huaihua, which has 350,000 permanent residents in the city proper.

About 200,000 people have not been affected by the water cutoff because 41 local companies and institutions have their own water supply.

"These organizations have been ordered to provide water to the citizens free of charge," said Zhang.

Meanwhile, the city's fire department has sent fire engines to supply water to hospitals, hotels and some communities.

But the cutoff has still caused many inconveniences as the daytime temperature hovers around 38 degrees Celsius in the recent three days.

"My husband has to bathe himself in a river," complained a citizen living in downtown Sanjiaoping Street, who gave only her family name as Li.

Li and her daughter are staying in a nearby hotel that has running water supplied by the railway authorities. "It costs dearly but we've got no other choice."

"The local government should do something to improve infrastructure and tackle with such crises more effectively," she said.

Some profit-driven water vendors have doubled the prices for bottled mineral water, she added. "Fortunately the big department stores and supermarkets have been told not to raise prices."

(Xinhua News Agency August 15, 2006)