In his report to the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress on Wednesday, Minister of Water Resources Chen Lei promised to provide all rural residents with safe drinking water by the year 2015.

While this is welcome news, efforts must be made at the same time to prevent water sources, including underground water, from being contaminated in rural areas.

Drinking water was made safe for 266 million rural residents and 14.6 million rural students and teachers by the end of 2011. But 242 million rural villagers and 33 million rural students and teachers still have no safe water to drink.

Water sources are contaminated not just by pollutants discharged from local enterprises, but also by the overuse of fertilizer, pesticides and the waste from cattle and domestic fowl. The lack of sewage treatment facilities is also a stumbling block that makes the protection of water sources a difficult task.

The problem of water contamination must be tackled with a long-term view and it must be incorporated into the overall plan to improve and protect the environment in rural areas.

Of course, this is not what the Ministry of Water Resources can handle alone. It needs the joint efforts of other central government departments and local governments as well.

When more than 70 percent of rivers and lakes in the country have been polluted to different degrees, it is unrealistic to separate environmental protection from the provision of safe drinking water.

We sincerely hope that the Ministry of Water Resources will make overall plans along with other relevant departments and local governments to clean up and protect water sources and underground water. For example, the refuse from agricultural production, cattle and domestic fowls may be used to produce gas and villagers can be taught to reasonably use fertilizer and pesticides to reduce pollution.

Safe drinking water can be permanently guaranteed for rural residents only if the environment in rural areas is fundamentally improved and protected in a sustainable manner.

(China Daily 04/27/2012 page8)