Dry,Polluted,Plagued By Rats: The Crisis In China's Greatest River (Yangtze)

The Guardian (UK) ^ | 1-17-2008 | Jonathan Watts

[blam]

Dry, polluted, plagued by rats: the crisis in China's greatest river

Ships stranded as Yangtze reaches a 142-year low

Jonathan Watts in Beijing
The Guardian, Thursday January 17 2008

A river bed is exposed as water levels fall along the Yangtze river near Wuhan, central China's Hubei province. Photograph: AP

The waters of the Yangtze have fallen to their lowest levels since 1866, disrupting drinking supplies, stranding ships and posing a threat to some of the world's most endangered species.

Asia's longest river is losing volume as a result of a prolonged dry spell, the state media warned yesterday, predicting hefty economic losses and a possible plague of rats on nearby farmland.

News of the drought - which is likely to worsen pollution in the river - comes amid dire reports about the impact of rapid economic growth on China's environment.

The government also revealed yesterday that the country's most prosperous province, Guangdong, has just had its worst year of smog since the Communist party took power in 1949, while 56,000 square miles of coastline waters failed to meet environmental standards.

But the immediate concern is the Yangtze, which supplies water to hundreds of millions of people and thousands of factories in a delta that accounts for more than 40% of China's economic output. According to the Chinese media, precipitation and water levels are at or near record lows in its middle and upper stretches.

The scale of the problem was revealed by the Yangtze water resources commission in a report on the Xinhua news agency's website yesterday. It said that the Hankou hydrological centre near Wuhan city found the river's depth had fallen to its lowest level in 142 years.

The measurement confirmed fears raised in recent weeks by the appearance of islands and mud flats

[Nervous Tick]

>> polluted, plagued by rats

For a second there, I thought this was going to be yet another Michigan primary thread...

[Army Air Corps]

Ping

[VeniVidiVici]

No big deal. The Chinese will just take Mongolia or Siberia.

[xJones]

I wonder if this Yangtze drought isn't associated with the Three Gorges Dam Project. That thing has been a monster boondoggle from the start.

[coalman]

no doubt,the problem is below the dam

[Brilliant]

They need to hire some American environmental consultants to fix this problem.

[coalman]

I just remembered they did a lot of diversion to expand water supplies to other areas ,I wonder how long their industrial miracle will last without water

[toddlintown]

That picture is where the swim competition will take place. If you look close, you can see Mao taking a swim too.

[JACKRUSSELL]

”Made in China” Ping.

(Please FReepmail me if you would like to be on or off of the list.)

[LasVegasMac]

I wonder if this Yangtze drought isn't associated with the Three Gorges Dam Project.

You need to explain that statement.

I would start with, maybe, a lack of rain in the drainage basin upstream of the Three Gorges Dam, and work from there.

Or, maybe, explain you're theory on why / how a huge mass of concrete has suddenly altered the local weather patterns....that is what your statement implies.....

No, "this is how I feel" stuff allowed.

What you said makes no sense at all. Exact liberal speak, in fact.

I am merely asking you to justify that statement.

[Flavius]

I thought it was new food import.

[Wilderness Conservative]

Maybe we can sell them some rat poison laced with baby food.

[xJones]

There is a drought in China, but the Three Gorges dam project was ill-conceived from the start.

[xJones]

You might read this article from today where others are blaming the Three Gorges Dam from the lack of water in the lower Yangtze:

Yangtze River water level at 140-year low .