Officials Tap Into Billions For Water Treatment

Acknowledging that much of China's water contains toxic pollutants, Chinese officials have set out a blueprint for making all groundwater safe to drink by 2020.

Environmental regulators announced October 28 that they will invest 34.6 billion yuan over the next ten years to address deteriorating water quality in China. Groundwater accounts for a third of China's water resources, and 70 percent of the population consumes it as drinking water, according to the environmental protection ministry. The government non-profit group China Geological Survey reports that 90 percent of that water is polluted, with 60 percent of that amount being seriously polluted.