About 500 million people will see an end to the days of drinking water of dubious quality over the next five years, as China invests to provide clean drinking water to rural populations, resources officials said on Thursday.
   
Rural populations in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region will benefit from government funds of over 270 million yuan (about US$35 million), said local officials.
   
In the last five years, the Chinese government has invested more than two billion yuan (about US$257 million) on water provision projects for nine million peasants and herdsmen, officials said.
   
But 5,740,000 people -- half of the rural population in Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region -- still have to drink unclean water, according to the latest survey by the local water resources bureau.
   
Meanwhile, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region will devote 420 million yuan (about US$54 million) to clean water projects for its rural population of forty million, local officials said.

(Xinhua News Agency February 5, 2007)