Cities tap Yangtze for drinking water

Water pollution has forced many regions, especially in southern China, to change their sources of drinking water, with many reaching out to the Yangtze River, a report said.

The contamination of water bodies has made drinking water in southern China more scarce, despite a dense network of waterways, according to the report, published earlier this year by the Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs, an NGO.

A campaign to root out environmental violations at water intake sites is expected to improve things, but environmental authorities should be aware that local governments may choose to abandon their water intake sources to avoid rectifying problems, said Ma Jun, director of the institute.