China is launching a huge campaign to ensure safe drinking water for about 100 million people in its rural areas who are suffering from serious shortage of water supply and disqualified drinking water.

According to the Chinese Ministry of Water Resources, the country will step up construction of water supply projects and further popularize the utilization of tap water in rural areas between 2006 and 2010.

Priority will be given to the treatment of disqualified water supply in rural areas which are afflicted with high content of fluorine, arsenic and other kinds of pollutants.

China spent 20 billion yuan (2.4 billion U.S. dollars) over the last five years in various efforts to provide clean drinking water to some 60 million rural people.

At present, more than 300 million people in rural areas still have no access to qualified drinking water, and the aim of providing safe drinking water to all rural people will be achieved by 2020.

Source: Xinhua