Watch: New Documentary Short Explores Northern China's Huge Water Crisis

"A Story of Invisible Water" is the first video in a series on China's massive South-North Water Diversion Project by Asia Society's China Green initiative. The 16-minute video produced by Lynn Zhang and Shirley Han Ying takes a close look at one of the worst environmental crises in the world through the stories of three farmers from China's Hebei province.

"A Story of Invisible Water" highlights the severe health and food safety risks associated with this water shortage, explaining that the North China Plain's 300 million people depend on groundwater to meet over three-quarters of their water needs. "However, in the North China Plain, this limited resource is widely polluted and getting depleted fast," according to China Green.

The video also features interviews with environmentalist and journalist Ma Jun, who is the director of Institute of Public & Environmental Affairs and Wei Zhimin, a policy advisor at Hebei Provincial Department of Water Resources.