Lack of water and energy jeopardize development

Hong Kong (AsiaNews) – In China over 400 cites in its vast rural heartland suffer from lack of water; 24 regions must resort to electricity rationing in order deal with the country's energy crisis.

Current supplies do not offer hope for improving the situation, seeing as numerous Northern regions have a 20-40% shortage in rainfall and, as summer drawns near, ever more electricity is required.

Limiting supplies and increasing in water and electricity rates were the first solutions proposed by the government, which is trying now to go down untraditional routes to resolve the crisis.

Minister of Water Resources, Wang Shucheng, said in a report released by the Chinese Academy of Engineering that the country is short 40 million cubic meters of water this year. He said over 400 have been affected in addition to the vast rural heartland and that the national development is now jeopardized.    

The Xinhua news service said that a growing number of Chinese scientists are convinced that desalting plants are needed to replenish cities with treated sea water. Dr. Gao Congjie, of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said that the desalting process would likely be a strategic guarantee to resolve China's water crisis.   

Dr. Wang Shichang, professor at the University of Tien Tsin, says the advantage of desalting lays in its low  costs in term of of plants, stating that expenses had gone down by 50% in the few last years. "Desalting sea water could become our greatest short term water source in costal cities," he said. Currently plants are under construction to supply 7.5 million tons of water by 2010 for 20 million people. Beijing has just recently doubled water rates.  

In terms of electricity shortage, in addition to new plant production, authorities are looking to optimize the electrical distribution network.

Xinhua reported that the State Electrical Regulations director, Chai Songyue, said a heavy increase in consumption is expected for the summer months. He said that it was necessary to reduce waste through rationing supplies and increasing rates.  

In the first trimester of this year electrical consumption increased by 16.4% and 24 regions had to limit supplies (only 5 provinces were able to avoid this).

The most affected areas were those along the industrial coasts, where international investment is concentrated, especially around Shanghai and Canton.

The problem is not only an insufficient number of electrical power plants but also due to the dissipation of old style industrial machinery and systems.

For example, coal plants in China consume on average 22.5% more mineral elements per unit of power produced with respect to similar western plants. According state Electric Company (State Grid Corporation of China) there will be a 30 million Kilowatt shortage in 2004 with respect to last year.  (MdO)

• china
• development
• water
• industrialization
• environment
• electricity
• economy