Urban-Rural Integration Water Distribution Project

Access to safe and reliable water is a basic human need that remains unmet for hundreds of millions in the PRC: one in two (700 million) are forced to consume water below WHO standards. Furthermore, an imbalance in the quality of water supply is observed. Rural and semi-urban communities are particularly disaffected, bearing disproportionate impact on economic livelihoods and health. About 53% of rural residents lack household tap connections, relying instead on wells and other communal supplies for basic supply. In those communities water is supplied often below national quality standards, caused by inadequate treatment and/or contamination from pipelines with high leakage during distributions. The proposed project will support China Water Affairs Group Limited (CWA) in expanding water distribution network into semi-urban and rural communities.