China Moves 330,000 People to Bring Water to the North

china moves 330,000 to bring water to the north

November 5, 2009, 6:30 am by Aaron Raybin

As yet another example of the risks of water scarcity, China has begun to resettle 330,000 people so it can divert water from the Yangtze River to northern China. A canal is being constructed from the Danjiangkou reservoir in Bubei all the way to Beijing, according to the Xinhua news agency. Those living in central provinces such as Henan and Hebei are being relocated to make way for the canal.

Temporary market set up for a demolished town on the Yangtze river.

The multi-billion-dollar project was originally envisioned as a three-line system of canals and pipes, moving water via eastern, middle, and western routes to the north. The canal from the Yangtze River is part of a central line in the system. The plans called for the middle and eastern routes to be completed by 2010. However, objections from environmentalists, difficulties resettling the population living in the construction zones, and the cost of treating badly polluted water have helped delay the project’s completion until 2014.

The China’s South-North Water Transfer Project document (PDF) shows that northern China has only 19 percent of the country’s water resources, yet accounts for 47 percent of the population, 64 percent of the cultivated land, and 45 percent of the country’s GDP. In order to sustain economic development and growth in the north, water resources must be diverted. When completed, the water diversion project is expected to push about 460 billion cubic feet of water through the central canal each year.

China has outlined the threat of the northern water crisis in the South-North Water transfer document. The report declares that the lack of water resources in the north:

Is an obstacle to the enhancement of people’s living standards
Causes further worsening of the ecological environment, and is associated with environmental problems like land sinking and seawater intrusion
Restricts agricultural development and threatens food safety
Threatens national economic development, and will hurt the national economy should the water crisis worsen

Supply infrastructure alone may not be enough to solve China’s water problems. A World Bank report indicated that water prices should be allowed to rise to reflect the scarcity as well as to promote conservation. Whatever steps China takes to resolve its water scarcity, one thing is clear–its economy and people cannot thrive without water resources.

photo credit: PeaMasher 2002