An estimated 280 million China residents are consuming unsafe drinking water, according to the Ministry of Environmental Protection.

The ministry based its report on a survey of 91,527 residents aged 18 and above, who are living in provincial areas.

The survey was conducted between 2011 and 2012 to assess citizen's level of exposure to environmental risks.

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The results showed that 110 million Chinese live less than a kilometer away from petrochemical plants, thermal power plants and other industrial sites that commonly pollute their immediate environment.

The ministry report recommended an intensified monitoring and evaluation system for environmental health hazards in high-risk areas.

A similar research conducted by the  World Health Organization (WHO) shows that Chinese residents who live within 5,000 meters of China's major rivers have 300% higher cancer rates than those who live farther inland.  

About 90 to 92 percent of China's tap water is tainted and causing illness on a daily basis, the WHO research also said.

It estimates that 64% of premature deaths in China are due to water-borne toxins consumed mostly by those who cannot afford to buy bottled water.

A controversial report recently published by McKinsey Group reveals that China's water pollution has increased by 61% over the last five years, while almost all other emerging countries have managed their contamination levels.