The water supply for the northern part of Zhengzhou City, capital of central China's Henan Province, was halted Monday after a pipe burst, forcing a water plant to stop operations.

It is not immediately known the exact number of residents being hit by the water supply disruption.

Local authorities said this is the second such halt in water supply in the city in one month.

A spokesman for the Zhongfayuanshui water plant said that a major pipe burst at 1:07 p.m. Monday, forcing the plant to shut a major pump in order to repair the broken pipeline.

The water supply for northern Zhengzhou City was disrupted, affecting residents within a 120 square km area. Repair workers have been racing against the clock to fix the pipeline, hoping to resume the water supply as quickly as possible.

The first water supply disruption in the city occurred on Nov.17 after a pipe burst near Shiyuan water plant. That incident disrupted the water supply for about 800,000 people in the southwestern part of the city.

(Xinhua News Agency November 23, 2010)