China’s water crisis growing
Louise Poliquin
Washington International School
After nearly a half century in power, the communist government in China is scouring the world for oil, natural gas, and minerals to keep its economic machine thriving. Its powerful trade deals are insufficient for solving the country’s water problems. According to the New York Times, China’s water usage has quintupled in the past 59 years, a statistic which leaves leaders and health organizations
with tough political choices as cities, industries, and farming simultaneously compete for a finite and shrinking water supply.
According to the Bank of China International and various government officials, over 400 cities and 13 provinces and regions, mostly in Northern China, face a water shortage problem. The issues of scarce and unsafe water are mounting so rapidly that they may cost China her sustained growth rate. The supply of water is inadequate to supply an astounding population of 1.3 billion, and as a result, water shortages are turning more and more Chinese farmland into desert. China is depleting water supplies
through industrial uses, consumer use, and pollution. Global warming is also blamed for a reduction in water resources.
China’s water crisis has placed enormous political pressure on the Communist party. The country’s economic success, ensured by the party, is putting the country’s health and lives at stake. The Communist party, leery of depending on imports to feed the country, has long insisted on grain self-sufficiency.
In the North China Plain, where half of the country’s wheat is produced, huge amounts of underground
water are consumed. The nation is left without simple options; restricting farming to protect the region’s aquifers would threaten the livelihoods of farmers and would cause an even greater spike in international grain prices.
Municipal and industrial dumping have nevertheless contributed to the destruction of China’s rivers, which were previously used to nourish agricultural growth. Water sources like the Yellow River are even drying up due to global warming’s harmful effects.
The Communist party is now faced with the urgent task of forcing the world’s most powerful economy to conserve and protect water. The water crisis is so widespread, that grave water sanitation-related issues are reported frequently. The most recent issue is the nation’s “virus-alert” status whereby approximately 3,000 children have been infected by the deadly Enterovirus 71, found in contaminated water.
Jim Yang, an 11th grader from Beijing, notes the prominence of China’s water crises. According to Jim, it is an issue that is nearly impossible to ignore and has had an impact on the daily lives of everyone as they implement strict water conservation measures on a daily basis.
“In China, the water’s not that clean, and the price is rising fast,” Jim said.
The brutal realization of the impact of water resource shortage has been that of an obvious curtailment of sustainable economic and social development. As a result, China will embark on an ambitious plan to divert water from the south to the drought-ridden north. China’s diversion project, the largest of its kind, was first suggested by former Chairman Mao Zedong 50 years ago and is only now beginning to take effect.
This massive diversion scheme has already taken 50 years from conception to commencement and is expected to take almost as long again to construct. Planned for completion in 2050, it will eventually divert 44.8 billion cubic meters of water. Some 3,000 Chinese children have been infected by the deadly Enterovirus 71, found in contaminated water.
However, the project, a costly $62 billion one, has been met with some skepticism among environmental organizations. While many agree that the project will provide a significant influx of water, they also say it will not be a cure-all.
In spite of the expectations, it is unclear as to how much clean water the project will actually deliver. The question of water quality and public health also remain as pollution problems are already arising and may just as well infect the northern area.
Cities and industry will be the beneficiaries of the new water, but the impact on farming is limited, seeing as little is being done to evenly distribute water for agricultural purposes. Thus, water deficits are expected to remain.
Many scientists believe that, if not by the diversion project, huge gains can still be reaped by better efficiency and conservation
methods. In north China, pilot projects are underway to reduce water loss from winter wheat crops. Some cities have raised the price of water to promote conservation, but it remains subsidized in most places, particularly for students and the urban poor. Already, some cities along the route of the transfer project are recoiling because of the planned higher prices.
Another water proposal would also be a more drastic plan of urbanization. Scientists say converting farmland into urban areas would save enough water to adequately sustain a significantly greater amount of the population since widespread farming still uses more water than urban areas.
Of course, large-scale urbanization, already under way, could worsen air quality and thus the quality
of the newly supplied water.
China’s water shortage is hindering its development. The country’s focus on fueling its leading
economy comes first on its agenda. However, government and health officials struggle to draw up solutions to a crisis that may overtake the gains in economic development.
Almost all of those in China, including Jim, are concerned with the future of their nation.
Jim added, “the price is rising fast; and probably in ten years there’s not going
to be any clean water left in Beijing. It’s a big problem.”