Its per capita water supply is significantly lower than the global average, but its demand for water is great. Both industry and agriculture use massive amounts of water and create massive water pollution. Close to 40% of China's rivers are polluted, and a median portion of those carry water so harmful, it meets all the criteria for being toxic; animals and humans should avoid touching these water ways. Of even greater concern, nearly 60% of China's available drinking water is safe for consumption. .
Globally, pollution is divided into three major categories: industry pollution, agricultural pollution and domestic pollution.
"Over the last three decades, China has transformed from impoverished farming-reliant country to the 'factory of the world,'" but at a high price" (Greenpeace, East Asia). The widespread dumping of toxic chemicals and industrial wastewater has poisoned rivers and groundwater, "and the people who rely on them." But "Made in China" comes at a price: the demand for cheap goods which multinational companies often leads the supplier to turn a blind eye at their environmental practices; "practices that would never be allowed in their country." This is the price the rapid development of developing countries. We could solve this problem if we have advanced technology and enough energy. However, it is tough for developing counties like China. .
Another main pollution is agricultural pollution. It is widely know that China has the largest population in the world, and in China, more than half of the people are farmers. Without advanced technology and equipment, most farmers have taken backward way farming. In order to harvest more grain, they had to use a lot of pesticides. Pesticide residues will penetrate the soil and then into the water, causing water pollution. At the same time, China has more mountains than plains, which hard for farmers use machines to framing.
