China is to increase its desalination capacity to produce up to three million tonnes of desalinated water per day by 2020.

State Oceanic Administration deputy director Chen Lianzeng told an international conference that the country currently produces 600,000t of desalinated water a day, and that it plans to increase this amount.

Although China collects about 40 billion cubic metres of fresh water from rainfall every year, approximately 400 of its cities face droughts, according to statistics from the State Oceanic Administration.

Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences former deputy director Xia Qing said distillation techniques are being used by desalination plants to reduce the amount of chloride ions contained in seawater to a level safe for irrigation and drinking, reports thehindubusinessline.com.