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在线翻译:
szdaily -> In depth -> 
YANGTZE WATER NOT A CURE-ALL FOR BEIJING’S THIRST
    2014-12-16  08:53    Shenzhen Daily

    BEIJING is looking to water from the Yangtze River to ease its drought, but experts say the ambitious south-to-north water diversion project is not a cure-all for the capital’s thirst.

    The landmark middle route of the 500-billion-yuan (US$81 billion) project started supplying water to Beijing on Friday.

    It will pump 9.5 billion cubic meters of water each year from the Danjiangkou reservoir in central China’s Hubei Province to the northern provinces of Hebei and Henan as well as Beijing and Tianjin, benefiting some 100 million people.

    About 1.05 billion cubic meters of water from the Hanjiang River, the Yangtze’s largest tributary, will be running from Beijingers’ taps each year through 1,400 km of pipelines and canals.

    The flow of Yangtze water to Beijing is a decades-old dream, dating back to Mao Zedong’s days as leader.

    Easing the water crisis

    The Yangtze water will make up a third of Beijing’s total supply and will, hopefully, narrow the huge gap between its annual water demand and supply.

    With Yangtze water piped in, Beijing will have 150 cubic meters per person, an increase of 50 percent, according to figures provided by the Beijing water authority.

    It said the Chinese capital’s per capita water volume is currently 100 cubic meters, only 1.25 percent of the world’s average level.

    Beijing needs at least 3.6 billion cubic meters of water a year to supply its 20 million residents and to keep local businesses running, but its own water supply was only 2.1 billion cubic meters annually during the past decade.

    “The city is facing a severe water crisis,” said Xu Xinyi, a water conservancy specialist with Beijing Normal University. “It’s like five people stuffed into a room designed for two.”

    The gap in Beijing’s water supply is filled by underground water and water diverted from neighboring provinces.

    As a result of over-exploitation, Beijing’s underground water level has declined 12.8 meters from 1998 levels. The chain reaction has included land subsidence and vegetation damage, said Zhang Tong, deputy president of Beijing Institute of Water.

    “A strong gale this summer felled more than 5,000 trees,” he said.

    Pumping in Yangtze water is an effective way to ease Beijing’s water crisis. “About half of the water Beijingers consume used to come from underground,” said Zhang. “With Yangtze water diverted to Beijing, underground water will make up only 30 percent of total consumption.”

    This, he said, will ease the pressure on Beijing’s environment and prevent underground water levels from dropping too fast.

    “It’s also an internationally accepted practice for solving water shortages in densely populated regions,” said Zhang.

    To save is to survive

    Despite the increase in water, the water diversion project is by no means a final solution to ease Beijing’s water shortage, said Sun Guosheng, chief of Beijing’s office of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project, in an interview with Xinhua.

    Sun said the government should use the price leverage to encourage all of society to save water. “To save is to survive,” he said. “Individuals and businesses should all use the tap sparingly, and heavy fines should be levied for wasting water.”

    Sun hinted there might be a slight price rise after Yangtze water is diverted to Beijing, but did not reveal any detailed plan.

    Beijing’s latest water price hike was in May, when the city adopted a tiered pricing system for the first time.

    Presently, the lowest tier price is 5 yuan per cubic meter for households with an annual consumption of less than 180 cubic meters, which covers 90 percent of all households.

    Households with annual water consumption between 180 and 260 cubic meters are charged 7 yuan per cubic meter. The water price for annual consumption over 260 cubic meters is 9 yuan per cubic meter.

    Meanwhile, 8.15 yuan is charged for each cubic meter of water for industrial consumption.

    The price for major water consumers, such as purified water plants, car washes and bathhouses, is 160 yuan per cubic meter. The same price is applicable to golf courses and ski resorts.

    “Easing the drought in Beijing and northern China in general requires the public to use water more efficiently,” said Prof. Xu Xinyi.

    “Most Beijing residents are totally unaware of the city’s water shortages,” said Xu. “It’s important to raise public awareness of water conservation and promote water-saving household appliances.”

    Posters saying “Save water for future generations” and “The last drop of water on Earth will be a human tear” are often seen on TV, in restaurants and in public toilets in major Chinese cities.

    “We have to build a water-saving society. Awareness is as important as the south-to-north water diversion project itself,” said Xu.

    (Xinhua)

    BACKGROUND

    China’s south-to-north water diversion project, the world’s largest, is designed to take water from the country’s longest river, the Yangtze, through eastern, middle and western routes to feed dry areas in the north, including the capital city of Beijing.

    The project started with construction on the eastern route in 2002, the middle route in 2003 and the western route is in its pre-construction stage.

    Upon completion, the project is expected to divert up to 44.8 billion cubic meters of water per year to more than 10 provinces and cities, benefiting nearly 100 million people. Up to 600,000 jobs are also estimated to be created.

    The major parts of the eastern route are located in the provinces of Jiangsu and Shandong.

    The middle route, the most attention-grabbing of the three routes due to its role in feeding water to the national capital, started supplying water Friday as part of the project’s first phase.

    The main canal of the middle route is 1,432 km in length, featuring a 1,196-km-long open channel.

    The first phase of the project will see a massive 9.5 billion cubic meters of water per year pumped through canals and pipes from the Danjiangkou Reservoir in central China’s Hubei Province to the northern provinces of Henan and Hebei and to Beijing.

    After completion of the second phase of the route, up to 13 billion cubic meters of water will flow north each year.

    Timeline

    • October 1952, the idea of diverting water from the resource-abundant south to the north was first envisioned by Mao Zedong.

    • June 5, 2000, after decades of research and discussion, the south-to-north water diversion project was set to include three routes — the eastern, the middle and the western — to take water from the Yangtze River.

    • Dec. 23, 2002, the south-to-north water diversion project was officially approved by the State Council.

    • Dec. 27, 2002, construction of the world’s largest water diversion project started from the eastern route in Shandong and Jiangsu.

    • Dec. 30, 2003, construction of the first phase of the middle route of the project began.

    • Sept. 26, 2005, a project began to heighten the dams of the Danjiangkou Reservoir to expand the storage capacity of the middle route.

    • Feb. 26, 2009, major work on the middle route involving seven provinces started.

    • March 31, 2010, all 54 dams of Danjiangkou Reservoir were raised to their highest level, from 14.6 meters to 176.6 meters, to store up to 29 billion cubic meters of water from the Hanjiang River, a major tributary of the Yangtze River.

    • September 2012, the relocation of residents near the Danjiangkou reservoir area was completed.

    • Dec. 25, 2013, the main work on the middle route of the south-to-north water diversion project was completed.

    (Xinhua)

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