Baishan City will be granted the title of "China International Mineral Water City" in August. 
 
The International Foundation for the Protection of Drinking Water will grant Baishan City in northeast China's Jilin Province the title of "China International Mineral Water City" in August.

The ceremony would be held during China's first festival of mineral water in Baishan, themed "Mineral water of Baishan, the source of health", from Aug. 18 to 20.

Meanwhile, the festival would also hold an international forum on mineral water protection and utilization and arrange visits to the mineral water sites and drinking water enterprises.

Located at the foot of Changbai Mountain, Baishan boasts a water storage totaling 8 billion cubic meters and its forest coverage rate amounts to 83 percent.

Baishan is one of the world's richest regions of mineral water along with the renowned Alps and the North Caucasus. According to the latest research, the city has detected nearly 200 mineral water source sites with the daily exploitation of 200,000 cubic meters.

Two major Chinese drinking water companies, the Wahaha and Nongfu Mountain Spring, have set up factories in Baishan with an annual output of 1 million tons. However, the present utilization is no more than one percent.
 
(CRI.com July 20, 2004)