SONGJIANG District yesterday began replacing rusty pipelines at older residential communities to improve tap water quality for about 300,000 residents.

More than 200 neighborhoods with about 140 residential buildings will have their tap water pipelines renovated in the outskirt district by 2018, water authority officials said. All the costs, including renovation and maintenance, will be borne by the district government.

The renovation program will cover all residential buildings built in and before 2000, said an official with the district water authority.