On December 1st, Xylem Inc. (赛莱默公司) and the China Water Network E20 environmental platform (中国E20环境平台中国水网) co-published the “2014 China water quality index research report”.
2360 consumers living in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hefei, Taiyuan and Changsha and 159 experts on water issues were surveyed. The results show that 99% of interviewees are aware the water pollution problem in China is severe and that urgent action is needed; more than 94% are ready to change the way they use water in their daily lives and 75% to pay more in order to ensure safe water (88% among experts). Older interviewees recall drinking tap water in their childhood while younger ones state they have only seen that in foreign movies and TV shows.
During the report presentation conference, Tsinghua University professor Wang Zhansheng noted that three conditions must be met for making tap water safe again: the quality of water sources has to be good, waterworks must be modern, pipes bringing water to each household must be unimpeded and safe. He told the journalist that the first condition is the hardest to meet and that China will need 30 to 50 years to solve that issues but supports the idea that the second and third conditions can be fulfilled if local governments invest more and manage water distribution better.
