No more a pipe dream : Water project pipes clean water to rural village in Northern China

With water piped directly to my home, I can spend this winter in ease, knowing that I no longer have to take the 45 minute walk to the public well to draw water,” says Zhao Xiao Qiu.

Winters in China, especially in the Northern provinces average temperatures between -10 to -30 degrees Celsius and yet many villagers have to walk several kilometres to the nearest water source in order to carry water home for drinking and cooking. The situation is now alleviated through the completion of a clean water project initiated by Lien AID and its local partners.

The project completion, commemorated on 21 May 2013, is part of Lien AID’s on-going effort to improve water and sanitation conditions in rural villages and schools. It involved piping water from underground wells  to one village and one primary school, resulting in the rural community obtaining sustained access to clean water throughout the year.

On top of the ‘hardware solution’, health and hygiene training to raise awareness of the importance of drinking clean water as well as proper hygiene practices, water conservation, protection of water sources and the environment were also carried out. This is part of a larger effort to catalyse behavioural change, and to ensure that rural communities are able to enjoy the benefits brought about by the project in the long run.

The project is estimated to have benefited more than 1,800 villagers, including over 300 students at a local primary school.