Water Diversion In China Could Damage The Environment

A gigantic water infrastructure project in China is running into difficulties. 

The country has committed to spend billions over five decades to divert water to its dry northern regions, according to  Agence France-Presse (AFP). 

"But when test runs began this year, villagers along the route said the inflow polluted their lake, leaving it teeming with silvery rotting fish carcasses and killing their livelihood," the report said.

The effort is known as the South-North Water Diversion Project. It aims to address water scarcity problems in China, which is "dangerously short of water," the Economist explained. "China has 20 percent of the world’s population but only 7 percent of its fresh water."

Water resources in China are unevenly dispersed. "While the south is a lush, lake-filled region, the north—which has half the population and most of the farmland—is more like a desert," the report said. 

AFP tallied up the pitfalls of China's ambitious water project.  

"Pollution could render the water unusable, long uphill sections will require tremendous energy for pumping, and reservoir construction has displaced communities," it said. 

Even if the full water supply were to arrive, it would not be enough, the report said.

And then, there's pollution. "The greatest pollution threat lies with the eastern route, set to begin carrying water at the end of this year from Jiangsu province to Shandong and a little further north," the report said. 

Environmental concerns related to the project have been on the radar for a while. The New York Times reported two years ago that "some Chinese scientists say the diversion could destroy the ecology of the southern rivers." They have argued that the government has not funded enough studies on those problems.

In the north, China's water situation is dire. "The international definition of water stress is 1,000 cubic metres of usable water per person per year. The average northern Chinese has less than a fifth of that amount," the Economist said. 

The project has been planned for a while. The AFP reported that "the directive for the expanded South-to-North network came from Mao Zedong himself, the project’s official website says."

American diversion projects have run into problems similar to China's, the Times said. "Lakes in California were damaged and destroyed when the Owens River was diverted in the early 20th century to build Los Angeles."

To read more about infrastructure plans in China, check out previous coverage on Water Online.

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