AWWA JAW10939

The challenge of providing one fourth of the world's population with public water supplies is discussed based on the author's three recent missions to the People's Republic of China. Of the 800 million persons living in villages, only about 300 million have safe water available. Piped systems supply 15 percent of these. The other 500 million of the rural population have problems with drinking water, including 45 million persons who are supplied with waters containing excess fluorides, 60 million who depend on brackish waters, 150 million who draw on polluted surface waters that are not adequately treated, and 50 million who do not have adequate sources of water. Providing water service in rural China is complicated because of the diversity of administrative units in the nearly 300 cities, over 2000 counties, and 50,000 rural communities. China as a developing country has decentralized water supply, with the initiative coming from the local village and technical assistance coming from larger administrative units. Other items discussed are treatment processes, distribution, metering, and planning. Includes 1 reference, figures.