China will provide another 20 million people in rural areas with safe drinking water by the end of 2006, according to an emergency construction plan approved by the State Council and Premier Wen Jiabao.

Since 2000, the government has invested more than CNY 18 billion (EUR 1.7 billion) in 800,000 water supply projects for 57 million rural people. However, the Ministry of Water Resources says that more than 300 million rural people do not have access to safe drinking water, and a third of the country's rural population drinks water that does not meet state standards.

The State Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Water Resources and the Ministry of Health plan to reduce the number of rural people without safe water by one-third by 2010, and to guarantee clean, safe water to 300 million rural people by 2020. The State Council said that solving rural water problems was vital to improve living standards and promote development. It stressed the need to monitor use of chemical fertilizer and pesticides and prevent factories being built near water sources.

Related news: China: clean water pledge by 2020, Source, 6 Dec 2004; Scaling up: rural water and sanitation services in China, Source, 4 May 2004; China: 26 million rural residents lack drinking water, Source, 20 Nov 2003;

Source: People's Daily Online, 25 Mar 2005

Tags: policies & legislation, water lifting devices, water quality