In the runup to the Olympics, we learned that Beijing had dug reservoirs into Hebei to ensure that the capital city would have enough water for the games.
The problem was, and still is, that after the games there were still 14 million people residing in Beijing and that the ongoing water supply would rely on Hebei province until the South to North transfer was complete.
The problem is, as shown through the article Beijing’s major water supplier faces serious water shortage, Hebei may not be able to sustain its support for much longer.
“Water resources in Hebei have dwindled by nearly 50 percent in recent years compared with that in the 1950s,” said Li, adding the province consumes 20.5 billion to 21.5 billion cubic meters water annually but it has only 17 billion cubic meters of surface water, leaving groundwater to supply the margin.
Which begs the question… just how far is Beijing willing to go to satisfy its own water needs?
I found this article which refers to a “South to North” project that would have water from the Yangtze provide for Beijing. Do you see plan actually happening?
http://www.china.org.cn/china/news/2009-01/14/content_17104224.htm
Comment by Phil — March 24, 2009 @ 12:35 am
Hi Phil.
You are correct in that there is a plan for the South to North, and your question of whether or not it will happen is a good one.
We have over the last 6 month seen conflicting reports on the timeline and whether or not it was being postponed or not.
Best we can tell, through reports and discussions with equipment providers, is that there are some sections which have been postponed due to engineering issues/ environmental concerns, but that the overall project is still proceeding.
Whether or not the water will make it to Beijing in 4 years or 6 years…. that is still left to be seen, however I think this project unfortunately will be completed at some point.
Even if it risks drying up the Yangtze.
R
Comment by Rich — March 24, 2009 @ 12:52 am