Joining hands with the China Women's Development Foundation, Aershan launches the public campaign by setting up a safe drinking water day - the Aershan Water Festival - on July 17. [Photo/provided to China Daily]

A Chinese mineral water company has donated 100 million yuan worth of water to people hit by severe water shortages and called for the nation to make donations towards building water cellars in middle and western China.

The company, Aershan, launched the public campaign by setting up a safe drinking water day - called the Aershan Water Festival - on July 17.

Joining with the China Women's Development Foundation, it planned to print QR codes on all of its bottled water, which allows consumers to donate directly to the "Land of Love, Water Cellar for Mothers" Project, a philanthropic program established in 2001 that builds water cellars for people in need of safe drinking water.

The campaign also aims to let the public know how important it is to drink good quality clean water.

About 80 percent of human diseases are related to unsafe drinking water, according to a World Health Organization report.

Some areas of western China are suffering from some of the worst water shortages in the country because of poor natural and geographical conditions, due to an annual rainfall of about 300 milliliters and an annual evaporation that has risen above 1500 to 2000 milliliters. Almost all the drinking water available to people and domestic animals comes from the rainwater they collect.

People there collect rainwater by building containers underground - called water cellars. However, many families cannot afford a solid water cellar that does not leak.

Women shoulder much of the burden, as their husbands leave home and work faraway. Every day, they have to walk several kilometers, or even dozens of kilometers, to fetch drinking water.

Since 2000, the China Women's Development Foundation has raised funds and implemented the "Land of Love, Water Cellar for Mothers" Project to help women get rid of poverty caused by water shortages.

A cement water cellar costs about 1000 yuan ($150) to build, which can offer safe drinking water to an entire family, according to the foundation.

At the end of 2015, the project had raised 896 million yuan and built 139.4 thousand water cellars in 25 provinces. It has also enhanced drinking water safety in 543 primary and middle schools in villages and given 2.9 million poverty-stricken people access to drinking water.