Groundwater could provided a clean and sustainable water source for some 500,000 people in arid west China, Vice-Minister of Land and Resources Shou Jiahua told an ongoing 2003 work meeting of the China Geology Research Bureau.

Shou cited groundwater as a precious resource and said its exploitation must be prudent, or severe ecological problems could occur.

Western and northern China regions had been hit by chronic dry spells over recent years, she said. To relieve a severe water shortage, the Chinese government had taken a series of measures, including centralizing distribution of river water under the Ministry of Water Resources.

However, decreasing rainfall and surface run-off in west China in recent years meant that exploiting a proper amount of groundwater to meet local subsistence needs was essential.

Nevertheless, Jiang Jianjun, director of the Geological Environmental Department of the Ministry of Land and Resources said, "We only offered groundwater to local people for drinking, but not for irrigation. The amount of exploited groundwater was quite limited and therefore would not produce a negative impact on local ecological environment."

Statistics released by the China Geology Research Bureau show that there is more than one billion cubic meters of exploitable groundwater in China.

Drought-hit northwest China, includes the autonomous regions and provinces of Xinjiang, Qinghai, Gansu, Ningxia and parts of Shaanxi, Shanxi and Inner Mongolia. The country's major deserts are also situated in the area.

More than 90 million people live in the area, about one fifth of whom belong to various minority ethnic groups. Approximately 12.26 million locals are still in great need of drinkable water.