57%+ Of China's Groundwater Fails To Meet Health Standards; "Bad" Classification = Harmful To Health

[hatrack]

BEIJING - More than half of the groundwater monitored in the country's major cities failed to meet standards for drinking, a report by the country's land watchdog said.

Groundwater at 57.2 percent of the 4,110 monitoring stations in 182 cities was classified as bad, meaning people's health could be harmed, according to a Ministry of Land and Resources report released on Wednesday.

The quality of groundwater in most northern and eastern parts of China was worse last year than in 2009, the report said, without stating locations. The level of groundwater had also dropped as a result of overexploitation.

Household sewage, industrial pollution and overuse of fertilizers and pesticides had led to further deterioration of groundwater, Ma Chaode, former director of the World Wide Fund For Nature's freshwater program in China, told China Daily. Pollution of groundwater and water in rivers and lakes had reached a serious level, he said.

EDIT

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2011-10/21/content_13944892.htm

[valerief]

1. If we had a functional EPA, ours would look like that, too, with all the fracking and drilling.

As it is, why would they test and give actual results? Might look bad. Regulations are evil in Moronville, I mean, the US.

[KT2000]

2. Free market/No regulations

Yeah! Repubs should probably move to China.

[benld74]

3. Treatments plants in China are practicaly non-existent,

China has only one treatment facility for every 1.5 million urban and suburban dwellers, compared to one for every 10,000 people in the United States.

http://www.worldwatch.org/node/59