More than 100,000 water storage pits have been built since the
launch of a project in 2000 to help poorer households in western
China.
The scheme, set up by All-China Women's Federation, has
benefited about 1.1 million farmers living in 22 provinces and
regions. They each received 1,000-yuan (US$125) subsidy towards the
cost of the pits.
Around 1,200 small-sized and centralized water supply projects
have also been supported by the initiative.
Areas in the west of the country suffer some of the worst water
shortages because of poor natural resources and the geographical
conditions.
Before the scheme was launched, many farmers had to rely on
poorly constructed water pits as they could not afford suitable
materials such as concrete.
"The drive to provide water pits to farming families has not
only supplied water for them but also improved their living
standards," said Bao Xiaoping, vice chairwoman of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Women's
Federation.
Qiao Haishi, 37, a farmer living in the region's Maolinzi
Village, said his family could now bath at home which was something
they could only dream of before.
"Thanks to the pit and nationwide drive we also now have better
conditions for agricultural production," he said. "In 2005 my
family made some 5,000 yuan (US$620) from producing
vegetables."
Building water storage pits to collect rainwater in areas hit by
shortages is the most economical and practical way to improve
conditions for farmers, according to experts.
However, there are still an estimated 20 million people affected
by water shortages in western China.
Among the worst hit are the 3 million or so people living in
mountainous areas in Shaanxi, Shanxi and Gansu provinces and the Inner Mongolia
Autonomous Region, said Zhang Baotong, an expert on social economic
development and director of Shaanxi Economic Development Research
Institute.
Liu Shizong, 76, a farmer living in Liuyao Village in Dingbian
County, Shaanxi Province, built a small, basic pit about 40 years
ago to collect rain and snow. His family still relies on it.
"We drink the water stored in the pit and if it doesn’t rain for
sometime we have to go 28 kilometers to collect water which is
salty and bitter," he said.
Many people in the village do not have enough water to wash
themselves or their clothes.
More than 80 percent of women in the area suffer from
gynecological complaints because of the poor hygiene which results
from a lack of water.
(China Daily May 8, 2006)