Abstract: Objectives To investigate the present status and problems of drinking water in the representative agricultural and pastoral areas in Lhasa River Valley; to discuss the main factors that affected the safety of drinking water, and to propose security countermeasures.Methods A unified questionnaire was conducted in the field survey; the environmental background, quality and quantity of water supply were surveyed.Results In typical agricultural and pastoral areas of Lhasa River Valley, 79% of water sources were mountain springs, and 87% of drinking water was supplied by piped water. There was a seasonal water shortage that accounted for 22% of household water supplies. The phenomenon of people sharing water sources with livestock was common (47%)in this area. Conclusions The quality of drinking water was relatively good in the region. The water supply for farmers and herdsmen could meet the needs, but there were still problems of drinking water for some herdsmen. Seasonal water shortage was common, and the phenomenon of people sharing drink water sources with livestock was still a major influencing factor of drinking water safety in this area.