The chemical spill has disrupted water supplies for hundreds of villagers living along the river, it said, without specifying the exact number of people affected.

The local government has poured 10 tons of calcium oxide into the river to dilute the pollutant and has built a dam to block the flow downstream.

"The efforts have helped to basically control the pollution," the report quoted local officials as saying.

Environment protection officials are closely monitoring water quality, it said.

Industrial pollution of China's waterways drew global attention last November when a chemical factory explosion in northeastern Jilin province released 100 tons of benzene and nitrobenzene into the Songhua river.

The toxic spill, one of China's biggest environmental scares, led to water supplies being suspended for days for millions of people living along the Songhua.

It also raised major concerns in Russia as the slick threatened to affect water and fish supplies on that side of the border.

Such recent pollution scandals have prompted China's central government to act. The State Council, or China's cabinet, announced earlier this year that environmental improvements, including reduction of water, air and soil pollution, will be a major national priority over the next 15 years.

It requires environmental quality in key areas and cities be improved by 2010 and "markedly improved" by 2020.

Previous government reports have said more than 70 percent of China's rivers and lakes are polluted, while underground water in 90 percent of cities are polluted.

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