Photo: website

The local government of Panjin, Northeast China's Liaoning Province, said the ignitable tap water was due to a small amount of natural gas in the pipe. 

A villager surnamed Wen from Siying Village, Panjin, complained that her household tap water was ignitable, attracting online attention on Sunday. 

Video released by media showed someone with a lighter lighting a fire under the faucet while the water was running, and flames appeared instantly.

Wen said that whenever she washed her hands, she always felt the water was unclean and that a layer of oil stuck to her hands. This has also been reported in several other households in her village.

The local publicity department then set up an investigation team, shut down the water wells in the area, disabled the residents' water pipes, and carried out temporary water diversion to meet residents' water needs.

After investigation, experts believe that the tap water of the village was originated from the deep groundwater, and a small amount of natural gas is brought to the surface in the process of water extraction. 

Due to the recent expansion of water storage device, groundwater was introduced directly to local homes. The small amount of gas that leaked into the tap water pipe caused the flammable phenomenon.

The local authority said it will further improve the water supply process to ensure safe drinking of tap water and hold the accountability for the departments and personnel responsible for the related problem.

Global Times