The unhealthy smog that settled over Beijing earlier this year, capturing international media attention, is not the only visible sign of China's rapid economic growth and the resulting environmental hazards.

Countless rivers and lakes have also been contaminated by nearby factories, and sometimes, dumping by local residents.

See China's water pollution >

This March, more than 2,000 dead pigs were found floating in a Shanghai river, a main water source for the city's 23 million residents.

Polluted water sources have been linked to a rise in "cancer villages," or areas where cancer rates are high among people who live along tainted waterways.

Time's Gu Yongqiang contends that China's failure to address environmental problems isn't a product of technical or financial constraints, but rather an overwhelming lack of motivation by authorities.

Mounting public outrage, largely aided by the power of social media, is starting to push officials to take action.

Last week, the state-run China Daily newspaper announced the country's plan to spend $16 billion over the next three years to deal with Beijing's pollution, Reuters reported.

An infusion of cash is only the beginning of a massive and much-needed cleanup effort, judging by the current deplorable state of China's water systems. It's not uncommon to see rivers turned bright green by algae blooms or thick with garbage and dead fish.

Algae is a plant form, which survives through photosynthesis--the process of absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen. University of California researchers write that aerobic bacteria "thrive in the presence of oxygen" and use it to grow and sustain life. One of those bacteria is E.coli, or Escherichia coli. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention writes that fecal-borne bacteria is the most common cause of pool-related illness. The microscopic organisms wash off the body and into the water without notice. The bacteria feed from the excess oxygen and spread throughout the pool. The CDC reports, "A single diarrheal incident from one person could contaminate water throughout a large pool system or waterpark."

A new submarine commissioned by the Spanish navy at a cost of 2.2 billion euros (£1.9billion) has been discovered to contain a serious design flaw – it is too heavy and will sink like a stone.

Miscalculations at the engineering stage have been blamed for a two-year delay in delivery of the first of four submarines commissioned from Spain's state-owned shipbuilder Navantia.