(January 18, 2010) Just like the polluted waters of the Yangtze River, the eroded hills of the Loess Plateau and sandstorms whipped up in the deserts of Inner Mongolia that pummel Beijing every spring, the Shi Dong and Nan Dong caves of Yunnan Province represent the front lines of China’s fresh water crisis. Studies of China’s southwest karst region indicate the water beneath the surface is contaminated with bacteria, chemicals and sediments that drain off the land. Moreover, the region’s porous landscape makes securing a steady supply of water for agriculture and household use an often daily challenge.
Beijing once again turning to Hebei to solve its water problems
(March 9, 2010) Beijing’s worsening water crisis is once again forcing its neighbouring province Hebei to sacrifice more of its dwindling reserves. According to a recent report from China Daily, Hebei is expected to open four of its reservoirs this year in an effort to help cover demand in the country’s water-starved capital.
Beijing’s mirage: A water park in a water-starved city
(March 4, 2010) As Beijing’s water crisis continues to worsen, government officials say they intend to transform the city’s famed Olympic Water Cube into a massive water park, featuring seven-story water slides and a wave machine. Operators of the stadium say the project will cost 200-million yuan ($29-million).
China villagers moved to quench the urban thirst
(March 3, 2010) About 330,000 people are relocating as part of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project, which will eventually see water transferred from the wet south to the dry north, where it is desperately needed. It is the biggest mass migration in China since the Three Gorges Dam project, under which some 1.5 million people have been relocated.
Asia Water Project launches investor report and unveils information portal on China water crisis
(March 1, 2010) Water in China: Issues for Responsible Investors, authored by the independent research company Responsible Research and commissioned by the Asia Water Project (AWP), reveals that at the national level, China’s water shortages are thought to be responsible for direct economic losses of US$35 billion every year. This is 2.5 times the average annual losses due to floods.
Capital thirsts for water from Hebei
(January 20, 2010) Neighboring province tightens its belts to ease Beijing’s shortage. Four reservoirs in Hebei are expected to be called upon again this year to supply water to Beijing, but the water delivery plan is still being negotiated by the Beijing and Hebei governments. The temporary plan for Beijing to get water from the four reservoirs – two in Shijiazhuang and two in Baoding – will bridge the gap until the South-to-North water diversion project is completed in 2014.
China’s pollution problem worse than anticipated says new report
(February 17, 2010) China’s first official nationwide census of pollution sources found that the nation’s water is much more polluted than official estimates originally reported.
The South-North Water Diversion project: in the Chinese government’s own words
(February 3, 2010) After years of delays and setbacks, construction on the South North Water Diversion project is now moving forward at “full capacity.” According to an official from the State Council, in 2010 alone, the government plans to invest a record 48 billion yuan ($7.02 billion) in the massive water project.
China grows thirstier
(January 29, 2010) Next to air pollution, water scarcity looms as one of China’s largest environmental disasters. Beijing consumes more water annually than its water resources combined, according to the Chinese Statistical Yearbook 2007. Without intervention, the city will face a massive shortage.
Beijing troubled by severe water shortage
(December 20, 2009) Due to 11 consecutive years of drought, Beijing has become a city of severe water shortage.
Oral History: Yongding River in Mentougou District
Below is the sixth in a series of oral histories about Beijing water, as told to Shi He by 60-year-old Wang Yongsen. Wang Yongsen is a farmer and longtime resident of a mountain village in Mentougou District about 70 kilometres due west of downtown Beijing.
Oral History: Three-Eyed Well in Xuanwu District
Below is the eighth in a series of oral histories about Beijing water, as told to Wang Jian by Wang Yumin, Chef, and Yin Jingxiu, Fitter and Turner.
Oral History: The Xishan Dajue Temple’s Spring Runs Dry
Below is the tenth in a series of oral histories about Beijing water, as told to An He and Wang Jian by Guan Zhanxiu, a forestry specialist at the Xishan Dajue Temple (Great Awakening Temple, or Temple of Enlightenment) in Beijing’s Haidian district
Oral History: The Vanishing Haidian
People of our age can’t avoid talking about water when Haidian is mentioned. I was born in 1949, the year New China was born. Since I was young, I’ve lived in the area near Yiheyuan (SummerPalace) and Dayouzhuang (Abundance Village). Between 1958 and 1968, I was at school there and I remember it was like a solitary boat in a marsh— with the Western Hills, the sunsets and water everywhere. It was absolutely beautiful.
Oral History: The Lost Rivers of the Forbidden City
Below is the second in a series of Beijing water oral histories, as told to Wang Jian by Sun Jiaming and Sun Jiayi.
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