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Is China running out of water?

Despite severe rains that have inundated much of China in recent days, many parts of the country remain dangerously short of water.

According to a recent report, among the country’s 34 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions, 16 are suffering severe water shortages, where per capita water resources are less than 1,000 cubic meters.

Six provincial regions are in extreme shortage with per capita water availability of less than 500 cubic meters. Around 160 million people, or one in eight residents, are affected by water scarcity.

While the country’s industrial water recycling rate remains at between 60 to 65 percent, the rate in most developed countries is over 80 percent.

Presently, China’s water supply system loses more than 15 percent of its content from leakages, according to a report which examined over 600 cities nationwide.

In China, nearly 8 billion cubic meters of water is wasted during transmission.