Growing cities, overuse of fertilizers and factory wastewater have degraded China's water supplies to the extent that half the nation's rivers and lakes are severely polluted. China aims to spend $850 billion to improve filthy water supplies over the next decade, but even such huge outlays may do little to reverse damage caused by decades of pollution and overuse in Beijing's push for rapid economic growth. Photo: Fishermen row a boat in the algae-filled Chaohu Lake in Hefei, Anhui province, June 19, 2009. (Photo by Jianan Yu/Reuters)

A woman dressed in traditional clothing visits a business street in Beijing on June 5, 2024. (Photo by Wang Zhao/AFP Photo)

A protester wears a face shield made of recycled plastic bottles by artist Leeroy New during a anti-terror bill rally at the University of the Philippines as they observe Independence Day on Friday, June 12, 2020, in Metro Manila, Philippines. Hundreds of activists in the Philippine capital staged protests Friday against a proposed anti-terror law they say could be used to quash dissent, ignoring police threats that they could be arrested for violating coronavirus restrictions against large public gatherings. (Photo by Aaron Favila/AP Photo)

In this picture taken on January 21, 2021, people visit a nightclub in Wuhan, China's central Hubei province. (Photo by Hector Retamal/AFP Photo)

Boozed up revellers dressed up in fluorescent colours during the opening day of the 2019 Notting Hill Carnival on August 25, 2019 in London, England. Up to a million people are expected to pack the streets of Notting Hill and surrounding areas over the course of the two day event. The annual celebration of Afro-Caribbean culture takes place each August bank holiday weekend. (Photo by London News Pictures)

Fishermen prepare marlin and sailfish, destined for Jakarta, for auction at a fish market in Tegal, Central Java November 26, 2014 in this photo taken by Antara Foto. (Photo by Oky Lukmansyah/Reuters/Antara Foto)

Livestreaming saleswomen sell cars at the Auto Shanghai show, in Shanghai, China on April 19, 2023. (Photo by Aly Song/Reuters)

Girls hold hands as they arrive their New Year parties in Newcastle, England on December 31, 2019. (Photo by Craig Connor/North News and Pictures)