The Ministry of Health (MOH) said yesterday it will lead a clean
up of China's rural areas.
Although progress has been made there is still a big disparity
between the city and the countryside, particularly regarding
drinking water quality and sanitation, MOH spokesman Mao Qun'an
said.
Rural areas need improving to meet the increasing demands of the
population, Mao said, citing a survey on drinking water quality and
sanitation that began in August 2006 and concluded in November last
year.
Of the 7,000 randomly selected samples of drinking water from more
than 65,000 rural households in 650 counties, more than 40 percent
were found to substandard.
Microorganisms were the top concern among the failed samples,
according to the joint survey by the MOH and the China
Loving-Motherland Sanitation Movement Committee.
Bacteria contamination, especially various groups of coliform,
was the second highest concern.
Up to 75 percent of rural people rely on underground water
supplies and nearly 55 percent on a collective water supply, the
survey said.
It also found more than 82 percent of respondents drink boiled
water, which "plays an important role in curbing water-borne
intestinal infections", Mao said.
By the end of 2005, more than 31 million rural residents did not
have access to safe water, MOH statistics showed.
It will be an expensive and time-consuming operation to bring
standards up to par, Mao said.
Premier Wen Jiabao said in September the government will spend
40.3 billion yuan ($5.6 billion) by 2010 to provide clean drinking
water for some 160 million rural residents. He also vowed to keep
increasing spending.
Environmental sanitation also needs a boost, the survey said, as
only 18 percent of restrooms were found to be indoors.
Just 23 percent of them met hygiene standards.
The survey also found nearly 67 percent of villages had no
refuse collectors. Some 300 million tons of garbage a year was
being left to rot.
The government will spend 336 million yuan this year to improve
public sanitation facilities, Mao said.
(China Daily February 19, 2008)