Rate this:

Once a year, a No. 1 central document is issued in Beijing that states the government’s priorities for the next year. The issues addressed range from economic security, zoology safety and state safety, but for the first time, construction of water resources has also made the list. According ot Jiao Yong, China’s Vice Minister of Water Resources 40% of China’s rivers are already polluted due to the country’s rapid economic growth, and “Industrialization, urbanization, including ensuring grain and food security, are exerting higher demands on water supplies… while our water use remains crude and wasteful.” He goes on to say that “over 46,000 reservoirs in China need to be rebuilt or reinforced to ensure that surrounding farmlands and communities are safe from flooding and have enough water for irrigation.” China recently held its first water conservation conference, attendees included President Hu Jintao who called water a “strategic resource” and compared its importance and impact on economic and national security to that of food and oil.

Advertisement