680,000 Xinjiang residents to access drinking water

Some 680,000 rural residents in farwest China's region of Xinjiang will have access to safe drinking water this year, according to the regional government. The central authorities and regional government will invest 500 million yuan (81.8 million U.S. dollars) in 2014 to make it happen, the regional rural work office said Tuesday. Xinjiang has been striving to provide more residents, especially those living in rural and pastoral areas, access to tap water since 2010. By the end of last year, 10.65 million residents in rural and pastoral areas had gained access to drinking water that meets safety standard, according to the office. The government said 86 counties across the region has drafted plans on building water quality monitoring network. Sixty-five county-level laboratories for water quality examinations have been set up.