(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.
Veolia is optimistic about prospects for growth in China
(July 13, 2009) Jorge Mora, CEO of Veolia Environnement Asia, has been living in China for 15 years. He uses the phrase “day and night” to describe the country’s progress in environmental protection during those years.
Going thirsty so Beijing can drink
(October 9, 2008) The water level at Wangkuai Reservoir, one of the biggest in Hebei province, is close to an historic high—in a region gripped by drought. This has been achieved by hoarding the water. Local farmers say they have received none for two years.
Province supplying Beijing water drying up: state
(March 24, 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. Probe International, a leading development policy group, has warned that the city of Beijing faces economic collapse and will need to resettle part of its population in coming decades, as it could run out of water in five to 10 years.
Peak water? The limits of a resource
(May 29, 2009) Wise management and sustainable development of the world’s water resources is a task that has been postponed too long. Much of the world is in crisis and parts of the United States are rapidly approaching that point. Water-poor regions can no longer expect to put off addressing the problem by pumping ever greater amounts of relict groundwater from shrinking aquifers. Geoscientists should play a leading role in designing innovative solutions such as aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) where seasonally-surplus water supplies are banked in porous underground formations for later use.
Beijing ‘may collapse’ over water crisis
(June 22, 2009) 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 says. Experts predict the Chinese capital could run out of water in five to 10 years, according to Grainne Ryder, policy director at Probe International.
China’s ambitious water diversion project way beyond budget
(June 9, 2009) After some seven years in progress, China’s South-to-North Water Transfer Project has burst its planned budget by tens of billions of yuan and run into delay.
Report: Beijing’s water and waste performance at Olympics earns Gold
(June 9, 2009) Beijing’s water management leading up to the Olympic Games serves as an example to other cities of how to achieve maximum efficiency in the use and management of scarce water resources. Beijing should continue its efforts. Further, the International Olympic Committee should promote the development and implementation of environmentally sound water and waste management in all cities being considered for future games.
Academics debate the environmental wisdom of mega-projects
(June 2, 2009) A recent article in the Taipei Times examining the mounting criticism facing the Chinese government in its pursuit of massive infrastructure projects.
The drag of the South-North Diversion Project
(May 21, 2009) A recent announcement that the much-criticized South-North Diversion Project is facing further delays may be the first sign that the Chinese government is reconsidering its penchant to pursue massively ambitious infrastructure projects.
Probe International 