Objective To understand the hygienic situation of drinking water in the rural areas in the river system of the Yangtze and Huaihe in Jiangsu Province,and to provide the scientific evidence for improving the quality of drinking water. Methods From January to October in 2007,according to the guideline of drinking water quality monitoring in the rural areas,in the river system of the Yangtze and Huaihe in Jiangsu Province,in 53 counties (cities),the drinking water quality of the central water supply and the non-central water supply was investigated. Results From the result of comprehensive evaluation,the eligible rate of drinking water in the rural areas in the river system of the Yangtze and Huaihe in Jiangsu Province was 41.34%. As for residual chlorine the eligible rate was 49.64%,as for total coliform group it was 79.69%,as for total number of bacteria it was 88.78%,as for the turbidity it was 85.75%,as for fluoride it was 92.63%,as for the other indexes it was above 95%. Compared with the Huaihe river system,the fluoride content in the Yangtze river system was lower,total coliform group,turbidity and manganese content were higher (P