Drinking Water Crisis in China

There are more than 300 million people in China who live in rural areas short of clean drinking water. Pollution is so severe the government estimates 40% of water in the country's major rivers is fit only for industrial or agricultural use.

More than a decade of near double-digit economic growth has put serious strain on water demand in China, which has only 7% of the world's total water resources, compared with more than 20% of the global population.

In the area where Beijing and Tianjin are located there are some cities which in five to seven years will run out of water.But into the capital there are no signs of a crisis. In the parks of downtown Beijing the sprinklers are all on and the gardeners are watering their plants. The government gives big cities top priority for water. The countryside and smaller towns are the losers.

The economic boom is making matters worse.The country's new middle classes are snapping up washing machines, dishwashers, showers and baths. The price they pay for the water they use is tiny compared with many other countries.

China has only a fraction of the water it needs and a third of the country is already desert. The authorities are worried about unrest if they raise prices to reduce usage. Beijing believes that the answer to the problem lies in the wetter south of the country. The annual rainy season there leads to massive flooding and loss of life. Work has begun on an ambitious construction project to transfer water from the south to the north. But many say it is too late: the current levels of water consumption are unsustainable.