China's Environmental Protection Ministry said on Thursday that there has been no major deterioration of environment in areas affected by the devastating May 12 earthquake and aftershocks.

In a report released on its website, the ministry said that drinking water and air in Sichuan, Gansu, Shaanxi and other quake areas were tested to be safe.

Local authorities have conducted 6,256 tests to a total of 388 drinking water sources in the quake areas and 98.4 percent of them were safe, according the ministry.

The water in Zipingpu reservoir and two other waterworks in Sichuan, which had been stained by oil leaked from rescue machines, resumed normal as of June 15, it said.

So far all 26 automatic monitoring posts for water quality in the quake areas reported no abnormality and downstream water from the Tangjiashan quake-formed lake was not contaminated by disinfectants or chemicals.

(Xinhua News Agency June 20, 2008)