Ministry of Water Resources: 80% of groundwater unsafe

The South China Morning Post reports that about 80% of groundwater in the mainland’s major river basins is unsafe for human contact, a survey by the Ministry of Water Resources has found. The ministry last year tested 2,103 wells in the basins of the Yangtze, Yellow River, Huai River and Hai River, finding that exploitation and pollution from industrial and agricultural emissions were the biggest threats to water standards. The results were released on the ministry’s website yesterday, the first time it has published water quality information in its monthly update. Nitrate pollution was most common, but some regions had heavy metal and organic pollutants, which are more difficult to remove.