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More than half of the groundwater monitored in the country's major cities failed to meet standards for drinking, a report by the country's land watchdog said.

Groundwater at 57.2 percent of the 4,110 monitoring stations in 182 cities was classified as bad, meaning people's health could be harmed, according to a Ministry of Land and Resources report released on Wednesday.

The quality of groundwater in most northern and eastern parts of China was worse last year than in 2009, the report said, without stating locations. The level of groundwater had also dropped as a result of overexploitation.

Household sewage, industrial pollution and overuse of fertilizers and pesticides had led to further deterioration of groundwater, said Ma Chaode, former director of the World Wide Fund For Nature's freshwater program in China.

Pollution of groundwater and water in rivers and lakes had reached a serious level, he said.

Zhang Zhaoji, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, agreed. He said protecting groundwater in the northern parts of China was more challenging than in the south.

"In the northern parts, pollution of groundwater is widespread and the situation is getting worse," Zhang told the 21st Century Business Herald.

Earlier statistics released by the State Council, the country's Cabinet, showed that North China may be more affected by deteriorating groundwater quality because there are fewer rivers and lakes in the region.

In North China, about 65 percent of water supplies for residential use comes from groundwater.

More than 400 of the country's 657 cities use groundwater as major source of drinking water.

Questions:

1. What percentage of the groundwater in China’s major cities failed to meet standards for drinking?

2. Who did the monitoring?

3. What part of China is more vulnerable?

Answers:

1. 57.2 percent.

2. Ministry of Land and Resources.

3. North China.

（中國(guó)日?qǐng)?bào)網(wǎng)英語(yǔ)點(diǎn)津 Helen 編輯）

About the broadcaster:

Nelly Min is an editor at China Daily with more than 10 years of experience as a newspaper editor and photographer. She has worked at major newspapers in the U.S., including the Los Angeles Times and the Detroit Free Press. She is also fluent in Korean.