Haihe River valley under drought threat
( 2003-12-02 15:56) (Xinhua)
Some sections of the Haihe River in north China have dried up due to a
seven-year dry spell, menacing the lives and economic growth in the river
valley.
Covering an area of 318,000 square kilometers, the Haihe River valley
includes Beijing and Tianjin municipalities, Hebei, Shandong and Shanxi
provinces and Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region.
An official with the Hebei provincial water resources bureau said the
province recorded 202-mm rainfall in July and August this year, 32 percent less
than that for the same period in normal years.
Compared with last year's same period, the shallow groundwater level dropped
by 0.57 meters in July and August this year, and deep groundwater level dropped
by 0.99 meters.
In some areas, locals face drinking water shortage, experts warned. They
urged water-saving measures to be taken to shun a water crisis.
Currently, the per capita water resources in the river valley is only 305
cubic meters, or 61 percent of the international standard for extreme water
shortage, said Wei Zhimin, a noted expert of water resources in Hebei province.
Historical records show that the region was hit by protracted dry spells
between 1637 and 1643.
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