Safe drinking water still in short supply in rural China

BEIJING—As of the end of 2006, only 23.1 percent of rural households in China had access to treated drinking water, while the rest used water from wells, rivers, ponds or precipitation, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said.
These findings, from the second national agriculture census, which began in 2006, reflected conditions among 226 million rural households nationwide. The census collected data on agricultural production, the rural labor force and rural employment, living conditions of rural residents and the environment of rural communities. The first agriculture census was launched in 1996.
NBS said that less than 13 percent of rural families had flush toilets, while nearly 43 percent used poorly-built toilets or had no toilets at all. The census showed that 99.3 percent of rural families owned at least one house. In rural areas, each household is eligible to obtain a plot of land on which to build a home. Housing areas averaged 128 square meters per household.
Agricultural experts said that rural living standards had improved significantly between the two censuses. However, the first census provided no comparison figures. The government has boosted investment in the countryside, slashed fees and taxes for farmers, introduced medical care schemes and strengthened protection of farmers’ land rights.
China invested 420 billion yuan (about 58.7 billion U.S. dollars) last year in the countryside, representing a record-high increase of 80 billion yuan from 2006. A pollution spill on a branch of the Yangtze River has affected water supply for 200,000 people in central China’s Hubei Province, according to local authorities.
The serious pollution on the Hanjiang River has affected residents along its three tributaries, namely the Xinglong, Tianguan and Dongjing rivers, local environmental and water company sources said. The latest tests on water samples from the three tributaries showed the permanganate index as well as ammonia and nitrogen levels were slightly higher than the standard.
The water became red with large amounts of bubbles, said Gao Qijin, head of Xingou Township Tap Water Company in Jianli County, which is along the Dongjing River. He said the pollution was found on Sunday afternoon and the company immediately stopped drawing water from the Dongjing River as it did not meet the tap water standard. Water supply has been cut for about 60,000 residents in the town. Five schools have also stopped classes, while many could not provide food to students.
Residents now have to rely on bottles of purified water and limited underground water. The town does not have alternate emergency underground water sources. Qianjiang City had ordered tap water companies in five towns to stop drawing water from the polluted sections, said Zheng Jiarong, vice mayor of the city.—Xinhua