south to north water transfer scheme

How many villagers were displaced when flooding the Danjiangkou reservoir?

345,000

why is there a demand for water in china?

• need it for industrial activities + economic growth

• high population density, a lot needed for domestic demand

• irrigating farmland

• water deficit in north of china

• water table in beijing is dropping by 1-3m a year

How much of China’s water is in the south, compared to population?

½ of population live in south, but has 4/5 of water

how many provinces in the north are in water stress?

11 - less than 1000 cubic metres per person per year (international measure of water stress)

how many of china’s 11 driest provinces produce nearly half of the GDP?

4 - 45% of GDP

what did qiu baoxing (vice minister of ministry of housing and urban-rural development) say about the project?

unsustainable - recycled water could replace the diverted water, but desalination plants will be needed

what happened to inner mongolia due to the project?

severely eroded ecosystems in lake juyanhai

what has happened to the water table beneath beijing?

was subsiding at an alarming rate (1-3 metres a year), but as of now, it is no longer dropping (though this may be due to agricultural cutbacks and increased precipitation)

how many people have been supplied by the system?

50 million, according to water ministry

benefits of scheme?

• reduced water insecurity in north

• supports economic development

• better food security as more water for irrigation

• health benefits from improved water quality

• additional water helps china cope with climate change

• over-abstraction of ground water is slowing

how much of the water was taken out of danjiangkou reservoir in 2017?

less than half of what was planned

effect of the water transfer on water shortages in beijing?

has not solved water shortages.

how much water does beijing use yearly?

3.6bn cubic metres

how much water does the city have?

2.1bn in local reservoirs and rivers

1.1bn from the north to south scheme

what happened during the drought in 2011?

315,000 left without drinking water

danjiangkou’s water level dropped below ‘dead’ water level, so the water was unusable

how has the scheme caused pollution?

since water was transferred from the yangtze river, the river has grown more sluggish. this means the river is less able to wash away contaminants and unable to sustain wetlands which acts as sponges that help reduce flooding.

what is being done to help the yangtze river?

governments are building dams to attempt to divert the water back to the river, like in the shaanxi province, the han river is being dammed to transfer water back to the river wei

how much did the scheme cost?

US$62 billion

disadvantages of reservoir?

• ecological damage to natural environment

• lots of evaporation from canals and reservoir

• displacement of people

• cost a lot of money