Water, water everywhere ... at last

Although the government has implemented many measures to improve living conditions on the islands in the South China Sea, the conditions are still inhospitable - scorching sunshine, burning temperatures and humid, salt-laden air. For the residents, the biggest improvement has been the introduction of fresh water via a series of desalination plants that treat seawater.

"Even though some people choose not to drink the desalinated water, at least they can use it to bathe, do the laundry and for irrigation," said Wang Junning, an engineer with Beijing Enterprise Water Group, which operates Sansha's desalination projects.

Wang, a native of the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region who has been building and operating desalination stations on the islands for three years, said his work gives him a genuine sense of achievement because the lack of fresh water was the biggest challenge facing the residents.