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Having been deprived of running water for two months, 2,100 residents in Gaochun County, Jiangsu Province, have been forced to get their supplies from a disease-ridden river.

Locals say that the taps often run dry in Nandang, a village about 20 kilometers from the county's waterworks.

"The water pipe serving this part of the county is very thin and the pressure is not high enough. As our village is at the end of the pipeline, we cannot get water at peak consumption times. We have to store tap water when it is available at night, and have to turn to the river sometimes," said 56-year-old local Chen Meijing.

A drought has meant that nothing has came out of the taps in Nandang since early June, forcing locals to draw their water from the nearby schistosome-ridden Shuiyang River.

"We boil the water for drinking, and use untreated water for bathing and washing. But we are still afraid of catching a disease," said Chen.

The Shuiyang is one of the most dangerous rivers in the province, according to the Jiangsu Provincial Disease Prevention and Control Centre.

Warnings are posted on walls and lamp posts along the river, asking villagers not to use the dirty river water.

Chen said she did not know the specific number of schistosomiasis patients in her village, but said 15 people out of 300 in her production team have been diagnosed as sufferers.

The schistosome is a parasitic worm that is capable of causing liver, gastrointestinal tract and bladder diseases.

Luckily, the villagers can get free medicines from local health bureaus.

Sun Shuangjin, the village head, told China Daily that the village committee has organized the digging of wells since July.

But the four wells that have been dug so far have either failed to produce any water or have produced water with an excessive carbon content, meaning that it is not suitable for drinking.

The local county and township governments plan to invest about 400,000 yuan (US$50,000) to build a new hydraulic pressure station to ensure a constant supply of tap water to Nandang, he said.

Xu Zhengfeng, an official in charge of public health at Yangjiang Township, in which the village is located, told China Daily that the local authorities have established a special team to tackle the problem.

Five water tanks have been sent to the village every day since this Thursday, said Xu.

(Xinhua News Agency August 19, 2006)