Officials on Wednesday dismissed a rumor that water sources in Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan Province, were contaminated following Monday's quake, which had led to panic buying of bottled water.

A spokesman at the Sichuan headquarters of disaster relief said tap water had been cut in some areas in Chengdu because of an overhaul. Surging water usage caused water supply to stop in some other areas.

Mao Zhixiong, secretary general of the Sichuan provincial government, also delivered an explanation on TV.

Before the official explanation, bottled water was sold out at many supermarkets and shops in Chengdu. Some citizens began to store water at home.

(Xinhua News Agency May 14, 2008)