BEIJING - A report released Wednesday by the Ministry of Land and Resources showed that the quality of over half of the underground water in China's urban areas was classified as bad in 2010.

The finding was based on surveys of a total of 4,110 testing sites in 182 cities across the country by the ministry, which warned of the grim situation concerning the quality of underground water in the cities.

Among the surveyed sites, 57.2 percent were found to have bad water quality, according to the report.

The report did not provide details concerning the causes of the pollution of underground water, but it is believed that fast economic growth and a rapidly urbanizing society are impacting the environment.

The report also said that the worsening quality of underground water was mostly in cities in the northern, northeastern, and northwestern regions of the country.