Increased water scarcity in China

Increased water scarcity in China

Description:

China’s galloping, often wasteful style of economic growth is pushing the country toward a water crisis. Water pollution is rampant nationwide, while water scarcity has worsened severely in north China — even as demand keeps rising everywhere. Water pollution is so widespread that regulators say a major incident occurs every other day. Municipal and industrial dumping has left sections of many rivers “unfit for human contact.” Cities like Beijing and Tianjin have shown progress on water conservation, but China’s economy continues to emphasize growth. Industry in China uses 3 to 10 times more water, depending on the product, than industries in developed nations.

Numbers:

• 489 million people in China live in water scarce areas.
• More than a third of China's GDP is produced in water scarce areas in the North where 100 cities are facing severe shortages.

Enablers:

• Economic growth: Industrialization and urbanization has increased the demand for water and contributes to water scarcity.
• Population growth: More people means more demand for water.
• Climate change: Climate change has caused rainfall to steadily decline, increasing the scarcity of water.
• Government policies: Originally farmers compensated for limited rainfall but Chinese government policies pushed for higher production so farmers began planting more crops.
• Water pollution: Industrialization and urbanization has contributed to water pollution, especially in Southern China.
• Increasing affluence: As people become more affluent, their lifestyle becomes more leisurely and they tend to use more water for certain activities. (i.e., people take longer showers, wash their cars etc.)

Inhibitors:

• Government policy changes:Government policies that conserve the use of water.
• A decrease in economic growth: If the economy slows down then less water will be needed.
• Increased public awareness: People may change their water consumption habits if they realize how scarce the water is.
• Increases in the price of water: By increasing the cost of water, the government can better promote water conservation.

Experts:

• Zhang Zhongmin

Paradigms:

• China has a sever regional water imbalance with about four-fifths of the water supply in the south. As water becomes increasingly scarce this imbalance could cause social unrest and conflict between the northern and southern regions of China.
• Without water farmers cannot plant crops and economic growth will slow.

Timing:

• Water usage in China has quintupled since 1949
• Scientists say that the aquifers below the North China Plain may be drained within 30 years
• China is still in the planning stages a $62 billion project called the South-to-North Water Transfer Project to funnel more than 12 trillion gallons northward every year along three routes from the Yangtze River basin, where water is more abundant. The project, if fully built, would be completed in 2050.
• 2006 August - Official news agency says 18 million people are affected by what it describes as the country's worst drought in 50 years

Web Resources:

1. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/28/world/asia/28water.html
2. http://www.wri.org/publication/content/8414