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China’s rapid economic growth has resulted in extensive damage to water resources in rural areas. The Amity Foundation’s studies of six villages in two of China’s poorest provinces, Guizhou and Guangxi, indicate that clean-water projects led to a marked decrease in the incidence of diarrhoea, especially in downstream villages. Such initiatives have strengthened the existing technical and institutional infrastructure in the villages. The paper calls for sustaining such interventions through adequate legislation and policies that improve infrastructure, integrate various departments, regulate diverse water uses and facilitate the involvement of civil society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]