Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao highlighted the issue of water safety
in the urban areas at a meeting of the State Council on Wednesday,
pledging the government will work to ensure drinking water safety
in both rural and urban areas.
There are still problems concerning water safety in cities, said
a press release after the meeting, such as unsafe or polluted water
sources, out-dated facilities and poor quality monitoring.
In the next three years, China will prioritize water safety in
205 cities and 350 counties.
The State Council called for redoubled efforts to protect water
sources and renovate outdated water facilities in the cities.
China adopted in July a new national standard for drinking-water
quality to ensure clean tap water supply to the country's urban and
rural residents.
The new standard raised the quality of tap water in terms of
organism, microorganism and disinfection by bringing 71 more
quality indicators into monitoring in addition to the original 35
indicators, according to an official with the Health Ministry.
(Xinhua News Agency August 23, 2007)
