China is working on a set of regulations to curb pollution and improve the quality of the nation's drinking water, said a source attending an international seminar which opened Wednesday.
These include regulations on the protection of water sources and management of urban water works, as well as some supervisory measures to ensure the drinking water supply is up to certain hygienic standards.
Some 93.7 percent of the drinking water provided in Chinese municipalities and provincial capitals has met basic hygienic requirements, said Chen Changjie, a professor from the Chinese Academy of Preventive Medicine.
However, the situation is far less optimistic in China's rural areas, where 38.6 percent of the water supply is harmful to the people's health, said Chen, who called for enhanced water treatment efforts.
The seminar, sponsored by China's Ministry of Public Health and Amway (China) Co. Ltd., aims to discuss drinking water management, standards on water treatment facilities and the setting of water quality standards.
It attracted over 100 experts from Chinese public health authorities, the World Health Organization, the United States and Europe.
With the economic globalization and China's imminent accession to the World Trade Organization, international exchanges and cooperation have become increasingly important in the protection of water sources and the setting of standards, said Amway's vice president Yan Zhirong.
(People's Daily November 9, 2001)
