The Stream, June 4: Two-Thirds of China’s Groundwater Unfit for Human Use

The Global Rundown

The majority of China‘s groundwater is too polluted for human use. California upped its conservation game in April. In one village in India, when wives don’t have enough time to fetch water for the family, the solution is to add another wife.

“I had to have someone to bring us water, and marrying again was the only option.” — Sakharam Bhagat, resident of the Indian village of Denganmal, on why he married a ‘water wife’. (Reuters)

By The Numbers

13.5 percent – Average April water use cuts by Californians. This is a big step up from the February and March numbers, when Californians only conserved 2.6 and 3.9 percent, respectively. The “South Coast” region, which includes the greater L.A. and San Diego areas, lagged furthest behind, conserving only 8.7 percent on average, while the “North Lahontan” region (on the state’s northern border with Nevada) led the pack at 37.5 percent. San Jose Mercury News

Science, Studies, And Reports

Almost two-thirds of China’s groundwater and one-third of its surface water were classed as unfit for human contact in 2014, the Chinese environment ministry said today. China is currently waging a self-described ‘war on pollution’. Reuters

On The Radar

In a western Indian village ravaged by drought, men have taken to marrying extra wives intended to fetch water for the family. There are only two sources of drinking water in Denganmal — two wells at the foot of a nearby hill — and lines are so long that walking to the hill and waiting one’s turn to collect water can take hours. Marrying “water wives” has become the norm. Reuters