Farewell to the 'bitter life'

After nearly five years of research, a stable and clean water source was finally identified as meltwater from a glacier on Mount Muztagata, a peak about 200 kilometers southwest of Kashgar city, Liu said.

Channeling the water from the mountain was not an easy task because the project had to cross several counties, which meant many water plants and a long pipeline had to be constructed.

To ensure the people of Jiashi gained access to safe drinking water, several central government bodies, including the Ministry of Water Resources and the National Development and Reform Commission, provided financial aid for the project.

Meanwhile, local government departments combined several anti-poverty funds to promote construction, Xinhua reported.

According to Jia, more than 1.7 billion yuan ($262 million) was provided in total, and in May last year work began to channel safe drinking water to Jiashi via a pipeline spanning three counties and with a total length of nearly 2,000 km.

The completion of the project meant that many households in Xinjiang finally had access to safe tap water, he added.

On the day the water reached Abdukerim's home, he rushed to turn on the tap and taste it, grinning from ear to ear.

"I sometimes envy my children because they can drink such safe and clean water while they are young, but I've waited for this day for almost 50 years," he said.

He always tells his children to recycle the water after washing their hands by using it to irrigate flowers and vegetable plots or to allow livestock to drink it.

"I experienced the difficult times of water shortages and I know this drinkable water has not come easily," he said.

He now drinks a cup of water when he gets up and before he goes to bed. He believes that safe drinking water is more important than making more money.

"Good health is priceless," he said.