CHINA'S MAJOR PROBLEM IN WATER POLLUTION

China’s water pollution problems are both serious and widespread. Officials monitor the quality of surface water at 12,226 sites across the country. According to the Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs – a Beijing-based NGO – of these sites, just 35 per cent have water of good quality, another 32 percent are suitable for water supply, 20 percent are suitable for industrial or agricultural use – but not for human contact – and 13 per cent are useless. Even in Shanghai, one of China’s richest, most environmentally-aware and modern cities, 52 out of 65 monitoring sites have water not suitable for human contact.

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