(March 22, 2009) A province in north China that supplies Beijing with much needed water is itself facing serious shortages of the resource, state media reported ahead of World Water Day on Sunday.
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Beijing Water Crisis: 1949 – 2008 Olympics
(June 26, 2006) Beijing’s policy of draining surrounding regions to ease water shortages in the ancient capital is akin to "quenching thirst by drinking poison," according to a new report by Probe International’s Beijing-based researchers. To keep water flowing to Beijing’s "green" Olympics this August, the water-strapped city is pumping water from four newly-built reservoirs in nearby Hebei province, depriving poor farmers of water for their crops.
Beijing’s water crisis
(March 15, 2007) In the short-term, the drought which lasted for most of the winter had surprisingly few effects on the lives of Beijingers bar a few newspaper headlines.
Beijing’s water crisis and economic collapse
(July 15, 2009) Beijing consumes more water than is deposited there by rainfall and snow and has been forced into major water mining projects. In the past, around 50 years ago, the city had numerous aquifers that could be tapped by relatively shallow wells of 2 to 3 meters. Now wells of 50 metres are required to access that water. Indeed of Beijing’s consumption of almost 4 billion cubic metres of water per annum, most still comes from the disappearing aquifers. The fear is that this source of water is rapidly drying up and that has the potential to plunge the capital into major water resource crisis.
Water Supplies for Beijing 2008 Olympics in State of Crisis
(July 1, 2008) We have heard about China’s air quality and pollution woes recently in the media , especially as the start of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games approaches. A new report released last week adds yet another dimension to China’s environmental concerns.
Beijing’s Water Binge
(June 27, 2008) Apparently Beijing is consuming water at the rate Marie Antoinette consumed petit fours and there is always a price to pay for such gluttony. Many news organizations (see, e.g., here and here) reported today on a new study, published by Probe International and written by a Chinese environmentalist, entitled “Beijing’s Water Crisis: 1949-2008 Olympics” which reads like a Temperance Union pamphlet.
Acute Water Shortage May Cause Beijing Exodus
(March 27, 2009) Chinese officials may be forced to resettle some of Beijing’s new arrivals over the next 5 to 10 years due to a population boom that accompanied both a rapid economic expansion and a decade-long stretch of yearly droughts.
Report predicts dire economic effects of Beijing water crisis
(June 28, 2008) Beijing’s water crisis is so critical that the city is facing economic collapse and the need to resettle part of its population in coming decades, a leading development policy group said yesterday.
Beijing faces collapse due to water crisis: Probe International
(June 27, 2008) Beijing’s water crisis is so critical that the city is facing economic collapse and the need to resettle part of its population in coming decades, a leading development policy group said Friday.
China’s Three Gorges Dam, by the Numbers
(June 9, 2006) Using enough explosives to level 400 ten-story buildings, China demolished the last barrier holding back the mighty Yangtze River from the Three Gorges Dam on Tuesday, according to government- controlled media.
Critics say price of China’s Three Gorges dam too high
(May 20, 2006) China hails the Three Gorges dam, which it completed Saturday, as the solution to a series of national problems, but critics say the price is too high.
China’s 3 Gorges Raises Questions for Future Dams
(May 15, 2006) With the last of the concrete being poured nearly a decade after China stemmed the flow of the Yangtze River to begin work, environmentalists say it should provide a cautionary tale to an energy-hungry government pushing similar hydropower dam projects.
Mammoth China Dam Project Called Risky, Destructive
(November 3, 1997) Environmentalists are asking shareholders of the giant General Electric company to question their involvement in the “riskiest and most destructive dam project ever,” building the Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtse River in China.
China Concealing Real Costs, Damages of Three Gorges Dam
(May 28, 2006) (IPS) WASHINGTON — The mammoth Three Gorges dam in China is attracting renewed calls for an independent financial and environmental audit, as concerns mount over the hefty costs and social and environmental impact of the world’s largest dam.
Chinese Vice Premier stresses role of Three Gorges Project in flood control
(July 10, 2009) Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang has called for efforts to intensify construction and management of the Three Gorges Project and to improve its functions in flood control as the region is now in the peak flood season.
Patricia Adams
Dai Qing
Fan Xiao
Lawrence Solomon
Mu Lan
Probe International
Lisa Peryman
Probe Media
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Probe International 