China warns of severe water shortage in lush Guangdong
Pastor Dale Morgan
*China warns of severe water shortage in lush Guangdong*
28 Nov 2007 07:19:36 GMT
Source: Reuters
BEIJING, Nov 28 (Reuters) - China's green southern province of Guangdong
is facing a huge water shortage due to pollution and inefficient use,
state media said on Wednesday.
The threat to China's manufacturing centre, which also supplies
neighbouring Hong Kong with most of its water, meant that in three years
only a third of its water demand would be met, the China Daily said. "By
2020, the shortfall will widen to about half of the province's water
demand, or more than 3.1 billion cubic metres, if no measures are taken
to address the problem," Zhang Hong'ou, president of the Guangzhou
Institute of Geography, was quoted as saying.
Zhang said the province had abundant water resources but more than 3.1
billion cubic metres of sewage was discharged into rivers throughout
Guangdong every year.
At least 16 million residents, or 14 percent of the city's population,
faced water shortages because of pollution.
"The authorities need to strengthen enforcement efforts to punish
polluters and encourage water-saving measures," said Chen Junhong, a
professor at the geography institute.
The fight against pollution is exacerbated by local governments
neglecting calls to crack down on polluting companies for the sake of
economic growth, Chen added. The State Environmental Protection
Administration said in a statement on Monday that fines for some
polluters of water resources had been raised by up to five times the
previous amount to 500,000 yuan ($67,640).
In a central five-year plan that ended in 2005, water in 26 percent of
"key" lakes and rivers targeted for clean-up across China was so
contaminated that it was classified as unfit even to touch or to
irrigate crops.
Emissions of sulphur dioxide, the industrial pollutant that causes acid
rain, grew by almost a third, despite a goal set in 2000 to cut
emissions by 10 percent. ($1=7.392 Yuan) (Reporting by Beijing newsroom;
editing by Nick Macfie)