Zhang Yuzhen, a Fujian deputy to the 13th National People's Congress, called on the issuance of a national law on underground water conservation, Tuesday.

According to Zhang, China boasts roughly 2.8 trillion cubic meters of freshwater reserves, but given its immense population of more than 1.3 billion, its per capita water availability is much less than the world average.

A third of China's water reserves are below the ground surface, which is vital for the nation's water supply.

It serves as an important source for drinking and irrigation in China, especially in its northern part, which has been plagued by water shortage for years, she says.

However, with the fast pace of urbanization and industrialization, the underground water is rapidly depleting.

In North China, a lineup of environmental problems has risen owing to the overuse of underground water, which contains water pollution, ground subsidence and soil desertification, Zhang revealed.

Meanwhile, in its southern part, though no longer a major source for drinking, underground water still has great potential of being contaminated, as an increasing number of polluting companies are forced to relocate to the countryside in the region.

In a bid to tackle these problems, some provinces and municipalities, such as Shaanxi and Beijing, have already rolled out the regulations to strengthen underground water management and supervision.

Even in such case, no laws or regulations at national levels are yet to have been issued, she says, adding it would provide more legal support for the resource protection once enacted.