China is a country suffering from severe water shortage, lacking at least 30-40 billion cubic meters of water every year. More than 400 Chinese cities are struggling with water shortages in addition to water pollution.

With the fast pace of urbanization (annual urban population growth being some 16 million), immediate action must be taken to solve the problem.

May 13-19, 2007, marks "urban water-saving week" in China, with its theme featuring the popularization of economical home appliances and the building of environmentally sensitive towns.

The Water-Saving Office of the Ministry of Construction and the Central Publicity Department of Communist Youth League of China also call upon young people nationwide to use water more rationally.

According to the data from the Ministry of Construction, Chinese cities save as many as 3.5 billion tons of water, about 6 percent to 8 percent of the total amount of water supplied to Chinese cities. The average water consumption in China is 200 liters per capita every day, while the figure in Singapore is only 150 liters.

(Chinanews.cn May 16, 2007)