Post-Olympic Beijing Facing ‘Grim’ Water Crisis

Beijing has begun draining “emergency” water reserves from the neighboring, rural Hebei province in the face of what officials in the capitol are calling a “grim” water forecast.

The water crises is nothing new for Beijing. Nearly 60 years ago, the seat of the People’s Republic was already hovering at the “water poverty line” of around 1,000 cubic meters a person. By 2007, it was down to less than 230 cubic meters. Today, with the city’s two largest reservoirs nearly running dry, it’s hard to see the glass as “10% full.”

“Due to continuous drought, the capital city of Beijing Laishui is facing a grim situation of relatively scarce water resources,” says the Hebei Water Resources department in an article announcing the emergency water plan.

It would seem that if ever a country could successfully enlist the support of its citizens to conserve water during a drought, it would be China. In 2006, residents were warned to save water or face shortage. While 20% of the city’s water goes into industry, a slim 3% goes into maintaining the urban environment. You won’t find Beijing residents hosing down the car or sprinkling manicured lawns.

Be that as it may, in the long run even this week’s emergency water project may not be sufficient to quench Beijing’s thirst. The municipality’s population–a staggering seventeen and a half million people–consumes 3.25 billion cubic meters of water a year for homes, farms, and industry. That’s 400 million cubic meters a year more than nature can restore. According to Hebei Water Resources, the total water contained in all five emergency reservoirs combined adds up to 860 million cubic meters. You do the math.

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Only a few weeks ago, amidst the long-anticipated Olympic Games, Beijing officials like Hu Siyi of the Water Ministry understandably offered assurances that “the Olympic Games will not pose a big challenge to water supplies in the city.”

Today, however, a starker reality is becoming clear. The city that recently showed us anything was possible (with a little help from Photoshop) may simply be facing an impossible task: too many people and too few resources.

Read More About Water at Green Options

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Sources: ENN, Hebei Water Resources, Probe International [PDF]

Photo Source: Poagao via Flickr under a Creative Commons license.

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