Beijing implements four major measures to alleviate water shortage http://www.cctv.com/english/special/news/20091203/103596.shtml
Beijing is seriously short of water. With an increase in urban population and extension in urban functions, the water shortage has become a new issue that urgently requires a solution. It is learned from relevent organs that in recent years, Beijing has implemented measures such as preserving water resources, collecting rainwater, diverting water from other regions and calling for water conservation to ensure water supply for rural and urban residents, industry and agriculture and realize Beijing's sustainable social and economic development. The water capacity of reservoirs increases and the quality improves Preserving water is particularly important for a city like Beijing that faces a severe shortage of water resources. Beijing's mountain areas are rich in both landscape, and water source conservation and protection areas. The numerous urban residents who spend their holidays and carry out entertainment and leisure activities there bring economic benefits on the one hand, but also leave rubbish and waste water on the other hand. Focusing on preserving water sources, Beijing has set aside 6,000 square kilometers of area as water source conservation areas and implemented strict water resource protection regulations to control pollution at the source. Three lines of defense – ecological restoration, ecological management and ecological protection, have been put in place around reserviors to develop eco-friendly, minor drainage areas. In order to improve the quality of water in Miyun Reservoir to the standard of surface water, Beijing's scientists and engineers have carried out research on a water eutrophication prevention and control system for the reservoir and put forward a number of technical measures to control area pollution sources and reduce pollution sources in the inner lake. The techniques, which integrate engineering, management, biological and ecological measures, have had a noticeable effect in protecting water sources. Thanks to the implementation of a batch of technical solutions to improve water quality and the construction of demonstration projects, Miyun Reservoir has not only maintained normal water supply, but also increased its water capacity again while ensuring good water quality. As of the end of 2008, the reservoir's water capacity had exceeded 1.1 billion cubic meters and the water quality was above the Class-II level. Guanting Reservoir, which was once one of Beijing's two major water sources, was removed from the drinking water supply system in 1997 due to water pollution. Given the level of pollution in Guanting Reservoir, Beijing's relevant organs have gradually approved two key scientific and technological projects and over 20 specific projects, and formulated a systematic engineering plan to restore the water in the reservior. The plan has already passed an inspection organized by the Ministry of Water Resources. The utilization of rain and flood water has been incorporated into the overall plan. On the one hand Beijing is facing a serious shortage of water; on the other hand the city wastes rain and flood water in urban areas. "Retaining rainwater during the flood season and utilizing rain and flood resources have been subjects of research in Beijing for years. Calling on the public to retain rainwater may not only relieve the urban burden on flood prevention and water drainage, but also benefit residents,"said a senior official from the Beijing Water Authority. Beijing's water organs will incorporate the utilization of rain and flood water into the city's overall plan. As for new construction projects, rain and flood utilization projects and construction projects will be managed to ensure that the two types of projects are simultaneously designed, constructed and delivered. Meanwhile, a "technical guide for urban rain and flood utilization in Beijing" has been formulated and "provisional regulations on strengthening rain and flood utilization on construction project sites" have been introduced. In order to retain more rainwater, Beijing has conducted research by carrying out rain and flood utilization demonstration projects; as well as developing techniques for initial rainwater treatment, storage and controlled drainage, rainwater recharge and rainwater infiltration. These achievements, which were applied at the Olympic Common Domain of the Beijing Olympic Games, have not only increased the quantity of usable water resources, but also eased the pressure on urban drainage systems and river courses during the flood season. Statistics show that around 1,330 rainwater utilization facilities have been established in Beijing's rural and urban areas, increasing the collection and storage capacity of rain and flood water to nearly 80 million cubic meters. Gravel pits will be dredged, dug and cleared in suburbs and plain areas, low-lying grounds, ancient river bends and deserted ponds to connect water systems and collect rain and flood water, while reservoirs and ponds will be used to collect rain and flood water in mountain areas. Beijing has established 123 municipal-level rainwater monitoring stations and intensified the urban monitoring network; built a system comprising a wireless microwave-based network and a wired optical cable-based network that mutually acts as a standby, realized the rapid transmission of rainwater and other information; and established a point-to-point consultation system to enhance the command and dispatch level and safeguard Beijing during the flood season. It also provides reliable information for rainwater collection. Diverting 400-odd million cubic meters of water from Shanxi and Hebei provinces In 2006, Beijing carried out pilot work to convert rice paddies into dry farmland in the Heihe River basin, Chicheng County, Zhangjiakou, Hebei Province, which is upstream of Beijing's Miyun Reservior. In 2007, 103,000 mu of rice paddies in Chicheng County, Zhangjiakou and Fengning and Huanping counties in Chengde, which are located upstream of Miyun Reservior; all have been converted into dry farmland. The conversion of rice paddies upstream to dry farmland is aimed at safeguarding "a basin of clear water" in the Minyun Reservoir. To compensate the losses of local people caused by the conversion of land, Beijing will offer them an annual subsidy of 550 yuan per mu on the basis of consultation with local governments. In recent years, Beijing and its neighboring regions have implemented a "sustainable water resource utilization plan for the early 21st century" that was approved by the State Council. The plan includes measures such as water saving, waste water retention and treatment, water and soil conservation and water resouce allocation in river basins, in order to improve the water collection, quality and capacity of Miyun and Guanting reservoirs. As of the end of 2008, several reserviors in Hebei and Shanxi provinces had intensively transfered more than 400 million cubic meters of water to Beijing. In addition since September 2008, 330 million cubic meters of water has been transferred to Beijing under the middle route project of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project, safeguarding the city's water supply. Institutions' water consumption will be under quota management As Beijing is facing a serious shortage of water, establishing a strict water resource management system is not only a strategic measure to solve the city's water shortage but also an inevitable choice to ensure Beijing's water safety. Between 2001 and 2008, Beijing's water consumption dropped from 3.89 billion cubic meters to 3.51 billion cubic meters, including 600 million cubic meters of reclaimed water. This shows that water conservation work has achieved remarkable results. While strictly controlling overall water consumption, all non- residential water consumption units in Beijing have adopted a water consumption planning and quota management system. The management measure of reducing the average annual water consumption planning index by three to five percent helps to save 100 million cubic meters of water every year. Water consumption units are also required to implement management systems involving monthly assessments, early warning for water overuse and progressive water prices if the quota is exceeded. 45,000 of over 13,800 water consumption units received an early warning in 2008 alone. This improved the efficiency of social units' water consumption. Beijing has also vigorously developed and promoted water saving technologies and products. At present, water saving appliances have been essentially popularized in all public places in Beijing. The popularization rate of household water saving appliances has reached over 85 percent. Between 2001 and 2008, Beijing carried out 980 water saving technical innovations, saving 53 million cubic meters of water; 120 million cubic meters of water were saved by popularizing the garden water saving micro-spray irrigation technology; 14.7 million cubic meters of water were saved by popularizing and promoting 4.2 million water saving devices. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "World-thread" group. To post to this group, send email to world-thr...@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to world-thread+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/world-thread?hl=en.
