China’s troubled waters
August 7th, 2007 by Jim JustSevere pollution, large-scale damming and climate change are combining to spell catastrophe for the rivers—and for the millions of Chinese who continue to depend on them. Since the 1950s the volume of water in the Yellow River has decreased by 75%—and 10% of the remaining volume is sewage. The once-mighty river has been reduced to a more or less seasonal body of water that usually dries up 800 kilometers before reaching the sea. The diagnosis for the Yangtze is equally bleak, as it’s heavily polluted with high levels of ammonia, nitrogen and phosphorus and one-tenth of the main stream is in “critical condition.†2006 was the grimmest year yet for China’s environmental situation, with a total of 130 chemical spills occurring during the year—one every three days. 70% of China’s rivers and lakes are polluted to some degree and 28% are too polluted even for irrigation or industrial use. Moreover, 90% of the water under cities is also too polluted to drink. As a result, several hundred million Chinese lack access to safe water. While there may be alternative and renewable energy resources, there is no alternative for water. Already, the country’s annual per capita water supply is only 2,200 cubic meters, just 25% of the global average. Pollution aggravates China’s natural water scarcity, particularly in the drought-prone north. Pollution is widely believed to be linked to the increase in different kinds of cancers in China in recent decades. China’s water shortage caused in part by pollution is aggravated by climate change. If global warming continues at current levels, 80% of all Himalayan glaciers could disappear by 2035. The grandiose South-North Water Diversion project, even when complete, will only make up a part of the water shortfall in the north and, given its expense, may prove to not be an economical solution. China’s aspirations to superpower status may be thwarted by something as commonplace as water.