Providing,. restoring and ensuring and restoring safe drinking water supplies to the affected areas by the Earthquake is, as the story below states, "an arduous task."
Below are two full stories on the process, as well as links to two stories that mention shipments of bottled water on their way to the affected area. Although the second story, clearly, includes some "Xinhua propagandizing," it also contains much good information on what is being attempted and how it is being done.
Two points to consider. Although the first article descusses the problem of water leakage from pipes in the affected area, stating that it is at 40%, urban water systems always lose some water through pipe leakage. Furthermore, the rate of water leakage in urban systems in China was quite high before economic reforms were installed. Therefore to put the 40% water loss through leakage statistic into context (assuming it is correct, of course) one would have to compare it to the leakage rate of the system before the earthquake. This might have been surprisingly high. By stating this, I do not, of course, wish to minimize or neglect the real suffering of the people affected.
Secondly, it would be interesting to know the history of the water systems in this area. Much of China has modernized surprisingly recently. Again, I do not wish to minimize or sound callous towards the suffering of the people affected, just to seek some context for the current water situaiton.
Finally, bottled water is being sent to the affected area, and two links are included to stories that mention this. My understanding is that this is a relatively standard item during disaster relief operatons.
Peter Huston
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Restoring water supply 'arduous task'
By Guan Xiaofeng (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-05-22 07:36
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2008-05/22/content_6702065.htm
Authorities are facing an arduous task to restore water supplies to areas hit by last Monday's earthquake, an official has said.
Shao Yisheng, general secretary of the China Urban Water Association, said 7,800 km water pipes were damaged in the quake, although supplies in the worst-hit areas have been "basically" restored.
Quake survivors sheltering at an unfinished stadium in the city of Mianzhu, Deyang, Sichuan province, collect water last Friday from a tanker sent by the local government.
The association has called on its members across the country to dispatch professional repair teams to disaster areas, some of which have already arrived.
The Sichuan provincial construction department said 5,000 km of the damaged pipes served cities in the province. Also, 839 tanks and 1,281 water treatment works have been damaged, affecting 10.59 million people across the province.
The water supply to the 11 million people of Chengdu, the Sichuan capital, was largely unaffected, it said.
However, in medium-sized cities such as Dujiangyan, Mianzhu and Shifang, which are close to the quake's epicenter, supplies have been severely affected due to damaged equipment and contamination, the department said.
As a result of leaks, the water pressure in those cities is less than a third of its normal level, it said.
"Because of all the leaks, only 40 percent of the water is getting to the people," an official with the Sichuan Water Association was quoted by China Business News as saying.
"Local water plants are working overtime to increase the supply of clean water," he said.
In areas close to the epicenter, including Beichuan and Wenchuan, water supply facilities have been totally destroyed, the official said.
The biggest challenge facing the recovery effort is the shortage of funds, he said.
An estimated 250 million yuan ($36 million) will be needed to repair the water pipes in the province and 70 million yuan to repair treatment facilities.
To speed up relief work, the Ministry of Water Resources has ordered the Shanghai water affairs bureau to take responsibility for the restoration of the water supply to Mianzhu and Shifang.
On Tuesday, the bureau dispatched a 70-member team to repair pipes in the two cities.
The supply network in urban areas of the quake zone has been badly damaged, leaving 1.1 million people completely cut off, the bureau said.
Also on Tuesday, the National Development and Reform Commission allocated 160 million yuan to help build emergency water supply systems in rural areas of the quake zone.
Xinhua contributed to the story
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Measures to ensure safe drinking water in disaster areas
http://english.people.com.cn/90001/6415644.html
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17:10, May 21, 2008
The Ministry of Environmental Protection announced on May 20 the three new emergency drinking water protection standards, and asked all levels of government in disaster areas to strictly implement technical standards to ensure drinking water safety for the people in disaster areas.
At present, rescue and clean-up work has entered a crucial phase. The Ministry of Environmental Protection has issued relevant standards to guide people in disaster areas and rescue personnel, according to the Ministry's strict and well-conceived emergency measures, to ensure safe drinking water, said Minister of Environmental Protection Zhou Shengxian.
Zhou Shengxian said that the three new emergency drinking water protection standards, according to the main influences on drinking water sources, determine the technical measures and management methods of eliminating and controlling key pollution factors. For example, if water source sites become contaminated, the water supply treatment process will be adjusted to use activated carbon adsorption, advanced oxidation, and other emergency treatment processes.
The standard requires that drinking water plants must strengthen water quality monitoring, especially for pathogenic bacteria; pay attention to the effects of coagulation precipitation and the sterilization process; can increase the coagulant; and maintain a chlorine dosage.
The standards also required an increase in the frequency of water quality monitoring in regions where groundwater is used as drinking water, and add an organic compound monitoring index. If possible, pumping groundwater should be reduced or halted from groundwater drinking water sources close to the earthquake ruins.
By People's Daily Online
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Beijing volunteers say quake survivors need lasting aid
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-05/22/content_8229755.htm
U.S. aid group draws hundreds to help China
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2008-05-21-china_N.htm
(NOTE: states that quake survivors are receiving bottle water among other items of aid.
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