China's deep underground drinking water sources are safe, said an official of the Ministry of Water Resources on Monday in response to a news report suggesting that more than 80 percent of the underground drinking water in China is too polluted for human consumption.

The official, Chen Mingzhong, said monitoring data only reflected problems near surface, not in deep underground aquifers, because most of the country's water for human consumption is extracted from deep underground, not near the surface.

The ministry’s monitoring shows that 85 percent of the 1,817 groundwater sources used to extract drinking water meet quality standards, and all the 33 sources that supply drinking water to cities with a population larger than 500,000 meet water quality standards, Chen said.

According to the report released by the ministry last week, water in one-third of the non-drinking-water wells monitored was classified as Type IV, which is suitable only for industrial or entertainment purposes.

Water in 47 percent of the wells was Type V water, referring to more polluted water suitable only for agriculture or landscaping.

The ministry's report captured public attention after National Business Daily said more than 80 percent of China's groundwater faces pollution threat.