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Clean drinking water is essential for life. However, around 18 percent of the world's population is forced to drink dirty, unsafe water.

Despite rapid economic growth, China, the most populous country in the world, is facing a crisis. 360 million people do not have access to safe drinking water and a further 700 million do not have access to sanitation facilities. And as a result of climate change, pollution, and frequent droughts, many of China's rivers are drying up.

In western China this lack of water is constraining the livelihoods of millions of Chinese farmers and is hampering wider economic development. Over the coming years as more water sources dry up and extreme weather events become more prevalent, large parts of China could see a rise in food insecurity.

Drought and pollution

Islamic Relief's Country Representative in China, Dawood Ma explained, "Global warming, drought and the rapid growth of the population have increasingly become constraints on the social and economic development of many provinces in China."

"In the west of the country especially, people live in harsh conditions. Farmers are unable to irrigate their land or rear livestock, and women have to spend hours every day trekking up and down mountains to fetch water. Here, drought and water scarcity is a key factor in causing poverty."

"People not only face a problem with regards to the quantity of water available but also its quality. In areas where there is industry, water is also heavily polluted," explained Ma.

"As a result of climate change, water resources in northern China have decreased markedly in the last 20 years," he said.

"The most affected provinces are Gansu, Ningxia and Shaaxi, where Islamic Relief works."

Dependent on the climate

60-year-old Zhang Sierde lives with his wife and three children in Dawantou Village, Beilin Township in Gansu Province.

"My village is situated in a dry, mountainous region where water shortages and scarce rainfall are problems all year round," Zhang explained. "Our crops are completely dependent on a good rainfall, and our life is completely dependent on the climate."

"We have to cultivate a large area of land to grow enough food but this is causing the soil to erode. And it is still not enough so my son has had to give up his studies to work in the city and support the family."

New water pumping station

In 2004 Islamic Relief completed the construction of a water pumping station in Beilin. The pump brings water up from a local river to people living in the remote, mountainous area. It provides 5,000 people like Zhang with clean drinking water as well as water for their livestock.

Islamic Relief also began a project that will help irrigate 5,000 acres of land in the same region. This will help improve agricultural production and alleviate poverty in the region.

Irrigating the land

Zhang is one of the farmers who will benefit from this project. "The irrigation of my farm will increase the amount of grain I harvest and help to ensure I can feed my family," he said. "This increased yield will also increase our annual income, enabling me to send my children to school."

"Our community has been involved in planning the project as well as helping to dig the ditches for the pipeline and install the irrigation equipment," Zhang explained.

"After the project is completed we will also help to operate and maintain the system, as we are already doing with the water pump. I am pleased to be able to contribute to the project, as it will benefit us very much."

Rainwater harvesting

For well over 2,000 years the Chinese have been using rainwater cellars as a way of collecting and storing water. However, now that many areas are suffering from increased water shortages and prolonged drought, they are finding a new place in modern society.

It is estimated that there are some 12 million rainwater harvesting cellars across China, providing millions of rural families with access to drinking water. Rainwater harvesting cellars 'catch' rain as it falls in concrete lined cellars. The water is stored there where it cannot evaporate until it is needed by the family.

Ma Juhua's new cellar

Islamic Relief has been building these rainwater harvesting cellars in rural communities throughout the northern provinces of Gansu and Ningxia. 40-year-old Ma Juhua lives with her husband and two children in Shiyangjuan village, Tongxin County in Ningxia Hui Province. Her family has been supplied with a rainwater harvesting cellar by Islamic Relief.

"Before the cellar was constructed, we had to collect water for drinking by travelling for two kilometers along a mountain path. This would take two hours there and back," she said.

"Because of the rough, rocky hillside, we needed three people to carry the water every time. This was really inconvenient."

"Before my children could only get a handful of water to wash their face before school; I only had a pot of unclean water to cook a meal; and getting enough water to have a bath was impossible."

"I appreciate the shorter time that it now takes me to collect water," she said. "It has been reduced from two hours to a few minutes. I now have more time for more productive tasks such as growing crops, tending to my livestock and cooking food."

"We also now have access to water even if there has been no rain for weeks or months, as water can be stored to use during the dry season."

Islamic Relief has been building concrete rainwater cellars for 550 families in Tongxin County, Ningxia Hui Province. Islamic Relief is also helping to increase the productivity of local farmers such as Ma Juhua by constructing terraced land to increase yield, as well as providing farmers with cows and sheep and supporting people to grow alfalfa and increase their income.