The algae outbreak on a Yangtze River tributary should be blamed on large numbers of phosphor mines and processing factories, experts said on Sunday.

Large areas of algae bloomed on June 16 on a 25 kilometer section of the Xiangxi River in Xingshan County, Hubei Province, and forced thousands of residents to stop drawing drinking water from the river.

The pollutants from many phosphor mines and chemical plants in the upper reaches of the Xiangxi River resulted in the algae outbreak in the river, according to a Yangtze River Water Resource Protection Bureau expert.

The algae area has begun to shrink after local government organized workers to clear the plant.

Blue algae choked east China's Taihu Lake last summer, triggering a drinking water crisis for residents in Wuxi City in Jiangsu Province.

(Xinhua News Agency July 21, 2008)