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China invests US$139m for safe drinking water in Tibet

Xinhua

The Ministry of Water Resources spent 953 million yuan (US$139.3 million), from 2000 to September 2008, to provide safe drinking water for 1.44 million farmers and herdsmen in southwestern China’s Tibet Autonomous Region.

The ministry said under the safe drinking water programme, nearly 10,000 drinking water facilities were built in 73 cities and counties in the autonomous region. Approximately 8.86 million livestock had also benefited from the programme, the ministry added.

According to Wang Xiaodong, head of the rural water resources department under the ministry, the programme will cover all rural people in Tibet by 2010.

Wang said penetration rate of running water supplies has been raised to 61 percent in Tibetan rural areas, up from 12 percent in 2000.

Surveys of Lhasa, Shigatse (ch: Xigaze) and Chamdo (ch: Qamdo) found that thanks to the safe drinking water programme, rural residents in these areas had their per-capita, annual medical spending reduced 280 yuan on average.

Another survey of Shannan prefecture showed that under the programme, 86 percent of rural households there had increased livestock they raised.

Copyright © 2009 Xinhua

Published in China Daily