Source:

04-03-2009 17:16

The China water crisis threatens the stability and prosperity not only in People's Republic of China but globally too, according to John McAlister from the film Aquabiotronics.

According to the World Bank forecast, Mainland China has only a per-capita share of 2700 cubic meters per annum, one quarter of the world's average.

Forecast

Chinese experts warn that by 2030 when China's population reaches 1.6 billion, per capita water resources will drop to 1760 cubic meters -- perilously close to 1700 cubic meters, the internationally recognized benchmark for water shortages. Half of China's 617 largest cities face water deficits. Beijing is among the cities which will be most affected. Northern China is now relying on underground water that was formed 10,000 years ago to meet the demand of China's large population, which has resulted in ground cracking and subsidence in some regions.

Regional disparity

The areas south of the Yangtze River, China's longest, which account for only 36.5 per cent of the country's total territory, have 80.9 per cent of its total water resources. However the areas north of the Yangtze, which make up 63.5 per cent of China, possess only 19.1 per cent of total water resources.

Taihu Blue Algae Bloom

In the summer of 2007 a thick toxic blanket of blue-green algae covered Lake Tai in Jiangsu province. Chemical fertilisers were identified as one of the main causes.

Greenpeace China tested the water in 2008. Of the 25 water samples examined, 20 of them had such high concentrations of nitrogen and nitrates that they were not safe for human use. They were even too polluted to be used to water plants or in factories.

 

Editor:Yang Jie