China: Beijing's water supply in state of crisis

Reuters ^ | 06/26/08 | Chris Buckley

[TigerLikesRooster]

Beijing's water supply in state of crisis

Thu Jun 26, 2008 2:12am EDT

By Chris Buckley

BAODING, China (Reuters) - China's ambitious hopes for a "green" Beijing Olympics have magnified, not relieved, the city's reckless dependence on water from strained underground supplies and a mammoth canal project, a critical report says.

Beijing has promoted its 2008 Games as a nature-friendly festival of sport, but water for the expanses of greenery and sparkling waterways greeting visitors in August will be pumped from sources already battered by over-use and over-engineering, says Probe International, a Canada-based conservation group.

"With each new project to tap water somewhere else, demand for water only increases, and at an ever greater cost to China's environment and economy," says the group's report given to reporters on Thursday.

[TigerLikesRooster]

With increasing desertification of China's north and north west, it would be more difficult to sustain big cities and large swath of croplands in these regions.

China should have their capital to the south near Xian, Luoyang, or Kaifeng. Having so many people living up there does not make sense in the long-term. I think mother Nature would force them to.

[TigerLikesRooster]

Ping!

[21twelve]

“China’s ambitious hopes for a “green” Beijing Olympics ...”

There was an article last week in the Seattle Times on how China was going to reduce the smog during the Olympics. They will be closing down the factories and construction projects in town. And alternate driving each day with license plates ending in odd or even numbers. (No kidding!)

You would think they could mandate something for the water too. Things like no watering of lawns, no washing cars, must use low flow toilets. (Okay, that last one was just to show how far along we are in the States. A few more years and I’m pretty sure there will be calls to halt factories and construction in the name of the polar bear.)

[lafroste]

My company has supplied three big ozonation systems to Beijing in support of the Olympics. These systems should help the situation considerably. They all went on-line last month.

[P8triot1]

This is going to be nothing less than publicity disaster for China. More later as this disaster develops!!! Ever see yellow turn red.?

[Vince Ferrer]

China should have their capital to the south near Xian, Luoyang, or Kaifeng. Having so many people living up there does not make sense in the long-term. I think mother Nature would force them to.

I don't know about Luoyang, but Xian and Kaifeng are so much more polluted than Beijing they are practically unlivable for any long stretch of time. I am not exaggerating to say that Kaifeng's haze is as think as fog in San Fransisco.

[blam]

Kaifeng

[Ratblaster]

You wait until after Olympics and US erection, new Chinese capital, Taipei

[Vince Ferrer]

I have taken a picture from that very spot, the top of this pagoda. That looks like a very clear day, as when I was there, the far edge of the lake was the most you could see, as I remember it. For some reason, looking out over the city from above (This is about 10 floors up) is a clearer view. From ground level, the haze was so thick that it was hard to find landmarks so that I wouldn't get lost.

[TigerLikesRooster]

Too bad they mucked up those places with pollution. The reason I mentioned those cities is that, in all likelihood, they don't have as much problem with dust storm and lack of water.

Beijing is right at the edge of dry steppe, turning into desert fast these days.

[RaceBannon]

I was there 2 years ago

DO NOT drink the tap water, under any circumstances