In a village in the costal area of Dalian, Liaoning Province, many villagers complain that their drinking water has become bitter and astringent. A man surnamed Kong is one of them. His home is in the village, about 5,000 meters away from the seaside. He says he has been drinking groundwater from a deep well, which was drilled in the 1970s. It was good in the past, but now tastes bad.
Kong says there are more villagers suffering from mineral concretions in recent years. And he himself suffers from gallstone, kidney stone and urinary problems.
In another nearby village in the area, local farmers say they have given up using well water because irrigating the land with it damages the vegetables they grow.
"Look at these cucumbers, eggplants and hot peppers. They are all dead after being irrigated
