(Yicai Global) July 9 -- The yield of spring water in Tibet neared 800,000 tons last year, with its output value hitting CNY1.58 billion (USD238 million), making this sector one of the most promising, said the Industry and Information Technology Department of the Tibet Autonomous Region.

Tibet, which sits upon China's lofty southwestern Himalayan plateau, has spawned 35 companies that produce natural well water, with six firms designated as large, per government parameters.

The region has formed a business development pattern that centers on its capital of Lhasa, and has built up over 40 production lines with total designed capacity of up to four million tons, state Xinhua News Agency reported.

Tibet, acclaimed as 'Asia's water tower,' boasts China's most abundant water resources. Average aquifer reserves in the region are 439.4 billion cubic meters, or 16.5 percent of China's total, data shows. As it is natural, pure and healthy, it holds forth considerable potential for further development.

The spring water trade is helping raise the incomes of more Tibetans as the value of the sector grows, a staffer with the region's industry and information technology agency. Natural drinking water has generated over 5,000 jobs directly throughout the entire region, and employed almost 20,000 persons indirectly, per statistics.

Editor: Ben Armour