Tap water coverage in rural China to reach 88%

Tap water coverage in China's rural areas will reach 88% in 2023, up one percentage point from the end of 2022, the Ministry of Water Resources said on Monday.

Large-scale water supply projects, which aim to integrate urban and rural water supply and standardize water services, are expected to cover 57% of China's rural population.

The coverage of the projects stood at 56% in rural areas by 2022, data from the ministry showed.

China will enhance water-quality monitoring to ensure water supply safety, and the coverage of purification and disinfection facilities in rural areas will reach 75%, said Li Guoying, minister of water resources.

The construction and renovation of 529 large and medium-scale irrigation projects began in 2022, while over 6,200 reservoirs were reinforced in the country, the ministry added.