As China continues to develop at a rapid pace, attention has been given to its poor air quality and smog. But a new report on the country’s land and water resources has revealed what is perhaps an even graver problem.
Extensive testing has shown that nearly 60 percent of China’s groundwater is polluted, with 44 percent being considered “relatively poor” and nearly 16 percent “very poor.”
Water deemed “relatively poor” must be treated before it can be used as drinking water; “very poor” quality water cannot be used for drinking at all. This report is troublesome, especially given that groundwater accounts for one-third of China’s total water resources. In the country’s populous urban areas, only three percent of groundwater is considered “clean.”
The situation is most dire in the arid North China Plain, which contains some of the most densely-populated land on Earth. In that region some 70 percent of groundwater is unfit for human contact.
In Beijing, annual per capita water availability is a mere 120 cubic meters, one-fifth of the U.N.’s cut-off for absolute water scarcity.
Most urban-dwellers in China already consider tap water unsafe and seek alternatives. But environmental disasters, like the recent chemical spill in Lanzhou, can lead to a frantic rush on bottled water.
Some consider the groundwater report a step in the right direction— as such information is often guarded. But urgent action is needed if the people of China are to have access to clean water in the future.
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Photo, posted March 10, 2013, courtesy of Water Provision via Flickr.
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Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio. Support for Earth Wise comes from the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies in Millbrook, NY.