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WATERY DATA: CHINA COUNTS THE DROPS

China RealTime Report, January 18, 2010

China, in its first-ever nationwide water resources survey will attempt to quantify just how much water it has, how much it needs and how much pollution is part of the flow.

China’s water supplies are meager and dwindling, threatened by waste, pollution and chronic drought. Global warming is blamed for shrinking the big Tibetan glaciers that feed most of China’s main rivers. All this is happening just as China’s wealth is increasing demand for more water – for irrigating food, propelling hydropower, and manufacturing of all types.

Compounding this, China’s leadership until now hasn’t had a clear picture of what’s actually going on with one of its most precious natural resources. One non-governmental organization, the Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs, has compiled a map of water pollution based on public records and some tips.

The figures in the two-year water survey project, announced last week, could be crucial to major choices about development. For example, cities in the arid north are investing in costly desalination projects, and massive canals to divert water form Yangtze River to the north.

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