CCTV9英语新闻：在中国22个地区发现的水应力（在线收听）

Some parts of China are dangerously short of water. A recent report confirms that the average per capita water availability in China is 2,000 100 cubic metres per year, just a quarter of the world average.

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

While the country’s industrial water recycle rate remains at between 60 to 65 percent. The rate in most developed countries is over 80 percent. The country’s water supply system loses more than 15 percent due to leakage, according to the report that examined over 600 cities nationwide. In 1999 Japan reported its loss-through-transmission rate was slightly over 9 percent. In China nearly 8 billion cubic meters of water is wasted during transmission.