Xue Yongguo (left), a 79-year-old villager in Zhanghe, Henan province, ladles out muddy water to drink last week at the foot of a nearby mountain. The closest alternative for drinking water is two hours away on foot. [Gao Shanyue/China Daily]
![Xue Yongguo (left), a 79-year-old villager in Zhanghe, Henan province, ladles out muddy water to drink last week at the foot of a nearby mountain. The closest alternative for drinking water is two hours away on foot. [Gao Shanyue/China Daily]](http://images.china.cn/attachement/jpg/site1007/20090212/000cf1a48b7f0afdd3fe0c.jpg "Xue Yongguo (left), a 79-year-old villager in Zhanghe, Henan province, ladles out muddy water to drink last week at the foot of a nearby mountain. The closest alternative for drinking water is two hours away on foot. [Gao Shanyue/China Daily]")
