China to provide clean water for 60 mln in 2009: state media

China plans to provide clean water for 60 million people in 2009, addressing one of the main public health issues facing the vast nation, state media said Wednesday.

By Nuclear Power Daily Editorial Team · Editorial process

Published January 27, 2009

China plans to provide clean water for 60 million people in 2009, addressing one of the main public health issues facing the vast nation, state media said Wednesday.

Currently, more than 200 million Chinese do not have access to safe drinking water, down from 379 million in late 2000, the Xinhua news agency reported, citing government data.

Rapid economic growth has severely curtailed the availability of clean water, as industry consumes a large share of the scarce resource while also being a major source of pollution.

The World Bank urged China earlier this month to raise water prices to encourage people to use less water and to promote efficiency in a bid to prevent a "severe water scarcity crisis."

Share This Article With Planet Earth

Written by

Nuclear Power Daily Editorial Team

The Nuclear Power Daily Editorial Team produces content across our two editorial pillars: space industry news and Mind & Meaning. We cover launches, missions, satellites, defense, and the technology of getting humans to space, alongside the psychology of ambition, isolation, and meaning under extremes. Articles reflect our team's collective editorial process, source verification, drafting, technical review, and editing, rather than a single writer's work. Nuclear Power Daily takes editorial responsibility for content under this byline. For more on how we work, see our editorial policy.