In the height of summer, stepping into the home of Liao Jianhua, a villager in Paiqian Village, Sanren She Ethnic Township, Suichang County, clear tap water gushes out as he turns on the faucet. “Now every household has piped water, available anytime, with plenty of supply,” Liao says. This improvement is largely thanks to the upgraded single-village water station in Paiqian Village, completed last year, which now provides high-quality drinking water to over 800 residents across three natural villages: Paiqian, Qian, and Baluo.

Rural drinking water safety is vital to people's well-being and the broader push for rural revitalization. To help all rural residents transition from “having water” to “having high-quality water”, Zhejiang province launched a three-year campaign in 2023 to upgrade single-village water stations. Lishui took on the task of renovating 3,200 stations—about 40% of the province’s total. Despite challenges like scattered locations, difficult terrain, and limited funding, Lishui adhered to the principle of “leaving no village or person behind”, establishing a comprehensive rural water supply system from “source to tap”.

“Single-village water stations typically draw from remote mountain sources, far from settlements, and the stations themselves are often built in uninhabited areas near villages, making material transport extremely difficult,” explains Ding Minchong, a senior engineer at the Lishui Water Resources Bureau. In some places, machinery couldn’t access the rugged mountain paths, forcing workers to rely on drones, donkeys, or even manual labor to transport construction materials.

Access to clean water is one of the most pressing livelihood concerns for rural communities. Even villages with very few permanent residents were not overlooked.

Dongyangshan, a hamlet in Suichang’s Yingcun Township, has fewer than 10 residents. Across Lishui, about 2,000 people live in similarly scattered highland households. To address their needs, Lishui City implemented tiered solutions: micro passive ultrafiltration systems for clusters of fewer than 10 people, and small membrane treatment or integrated purification units for groups under 20.

“Though only a few households remain here, the government still took the initiative to solve our water problems,” says villager Xiao Guosen.

Lishui’s mountainous terrain—often described as “90% mountains, 5% water, and 5% farmland”—makes water supply costs per capita six to eight times higher than in flatlands. To tackle this challenge, the city adopted flexible policies: extending pipelines where possible, connecting isolated systems, and relocating residents when necessary. So far, Lishui has invested 3.08 billion yuan ($424 million), completing 3,066 water stations—a 95.8% finish rate, ranking first in Zhejiang—benefiting 517,000 rural residents.

The completion of single-village water stations marks only half the accomplishment; the greater challenge lies in their effective management. In earlier years, most single-village water stations followed a “village-built, village-managed” model characterized by low construction standards and inadequate daily maintenance, where issues such as pipeline leaks and equipment failures often failed to receive prompt and effective resolution.

To address this issue, Lishui has implemented a government-funded, county-wide unified management model (“county-level centralized management”) across the municipality, effectively resolving the problem of management deficiencies in single-village water stations. In 2024, the city issued the “Guidelines on Strengthening County-Level Centralized Management of Rural Water Supply”, requiring all localities to implement the concept of “integrated yet differentiated management” in rural water supply maintenance.

At the Xiabao Village Water Station in Sidu Township, Songyang County, maintenance technician Ye Shoubiao conducts routine inspections every few days. “First, I verify whether the water supply is normal, then check the electrical circuits and equipment operation,” says Ye. After confirming proper water flow and equipment functionality, he collects a test tube sample from the reservoir to measure turbidity and residual chlorine levels. “Since last year’s upgrades, the municipal authorities have imposed stricter and more detailed maintenance requirements. Each inspection now mandates water quality testing, electrical and equipment checks, logbook documentation, and facility cleaning. Additionally, disinfectant must be replenished in the sterilization equipment every five days, and water sources must be inspected monthly.”

Beyond routine maintenance by station technicians, this round of upgrades has seen Lishui’s counties comprehensively elevate rural water service levels through digital management. Qingtian County established a digital control center to achieve full-coverage digital monitoring of rural water supply; Songyang County implemented a centralized digital platform for unified control and dispatching of all single-village water stations; Longquan City constructed a rural drinking water operations center, conducting digitalized inspections of all municipal rural water stations via county-level management dashboards...

Leaving no village behind, omitting no resident - achieving urban-rural water quality parity. Through these measures, Lishui has established a provincial model for single-village water station upgrades. In April of this year, the “3+1” Standardized Construction and Management On-Site Promotion Conference for Rural Water Supply was held in Lishui, where water resources officials and industry experts from across the nation inspected the city’s innovative practices in rural water supply. “Lishui’s rural water supply work has taken the national lead,” praised Su Liqun, Director of the Rural Water Resources Department of Jiangxi Provincial Water Resources Department, following the inspection.

Small water stations leverage major livelihood improvements. Moving forward, Lishui will continue deepening management reforms, advancing rural water supply from “standard compliance” to “quality service”, injecting stronger “water-powered momentum” into the province’s common prosperity demonstration zone construction.