In the northern China, 400 millions of inhabitants live with an average of 700 cubic meters of water per year. This is considered not suficient by the World Bank that sets the value of the poverty line at 1000 cubic meters. In France, the same reserve for each person is about 3300 cubic meters: the issue of insufficiency of water is not for now.

The shortage of the water reserves in China is now a reality and considered by the government as a break to the economic development. It has to face the shortage and the pollution of the groundwater and seems to consider that a better management must be a part of the plan. So, the 11th five-years guideline was decided to settle some of these questions: “There are great potentials for water saving by increasing water reuse or recycling”, said Mr. Wang Shucheng, Minister of Water Resources. The reforestation of nothern China was programmed partially for protecting soil and groundwater and the old Mao’s idea to divert the water of the south to the north is surfacing again.

For public health, wastewater treatment and drinking water plans should rise soon, since the Water Resources Ministry wants to implement total quantity control of water use and quota management, and initialize a national water rights system. According to the Statistic Bulletin China Water Activities, the number of pumping stations rose of 14% in 2005. To reach the goals, a lot of public/privates contracts are signed by the local administrations of chinese cities, who look for the value of skillfull partnerships with foreign societies, leaders in the water domain.
But the planning is in urge as it has been shown by the Groundwater Bulletin of China Northern Plains: the level of groundwater in the region of Beijing drops at an average of 0.75meter per year. In 40 years, the level of the reserve dropped of 55meters.

Interview (in french) of Jacques Gravereau, President of the Eurasia HEC Institut, talking about China water shortage and its issues – 05/05/07, Radio86.fr: http://www.radio86.fr/system/files/2007-05-05_feature_02_net.mp3

Tags: China, groundwater, shortage, water resources

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