Green Olympics at Great Cost
Beijing Redirects Essential Water from the South
The Chinese Communist Party sacrifices people's basic water usage to build the "Green Olympic" image.
Chinese communist authorities have spent 1.7 billion U.S. dollars to build new Olympic stadiums... the most ever in the history of the games.
And as part of a campaign to create a green image for Beijing, authorities are diverting water from nearby provinces to dry rivers and lakes in the capital. But where the water is coming from is what has many Chinese angry. Here's more from our China News team.
STORY:
Beijing has serious water pollution problems. Many reservoirs have almost dried up and there is barely enough water for current residents. There are big concerns about whether there would be enough water to go around when people arrive in the Chinese capital for the Games. Water usage will reportedly increase 30 percent.
So to address this issue Chinese communist authorities plan to divert water from nearby provinces into the city, in order to meet their Green Olympics agreement, showing how the Games can improve the environment.
But how this effort has many worried. Water is being channeled via a canal from the Yangtze River in Hebei and Shaanxi provinces to flush out pollutants in Beijing.
But these two provinces need water more than ever now. They are currently in the midst of a horrible drought... the worst seen in 50 years. Drinking water is hard to come by in some areas, and now this precious resource is going straight to Beijing.
The project has people like water expert Wang Weiluo worried.
[Wang Weiluo, Water Expert]: Quote 1
"Water diverting is in fact a violation of the laws of nature. In those areas, farmers are actually short of water. They have to irrigate the land and live very modestly. They divert the water to Beijing just for the Olympics. It's just a show, a show to create a healthy water environment in Beijing, and also to fill up the huge pools in front of the National Theatre."
Wang says the water shortage in Beijing is a direct result of manmade pollution, and cannot be solved through water diverting.
[Wang Weiluo, Water Expert]: Quote 2
"In the 1950s the Guan Ting Reservoir had 1.9 billion cubic meters of water... now only 200 million cubic meters are left. Failed water projects and pollution have destroyed the environment and drained water resources. Now Beijing has a 'Divert the South Water to the North' plan, but the water problem still remains. Because the local resources have been destroyed, you cannot rely on foreign resources to solve the problem."
Beijing's population has more than quadrupled since the 1960s, with more than 18 million people calling the city their home.
NTD Beijing
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Tags: NTDTV Water Resources Divertion Beijing
