The Times (London)
August 23, 2006

The water in China is unfit for drinking, the government admitted this week, as it announced plans to spend £70 billion (US$132 billion) over five years on sewage and water treatment facilities.

Beijing: The water in China is unfit for drinking, the Government admitted yesterday, as it announced plans to spend £70 billion over five years on sewage and water treatment facilities. Qiu Baoxing, the Vice-Minister of Construction and the man in charge of the huge investment programme, said that he used only bottled water to make tea because of the poor quality of tap water in Beijing.