Yangtze water not a cure-all for Beijing's thirst
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E-mail Xinhua, December 12, 2014
TO SAVE IS TO SURVIVE
Despite the increase in water supply, the water diversion project is by no means a final solution to ease Beijing's water shortage, said Sun Guosheng, chief of Beijing's office of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project, in an interview with Xinhua.
Sun said the government should use the price leverage to encourage all of society to save water. "To save is to survive," he said. "Individuals and businesses should all use the tap sparingly, and heavy fines should be levied for wasting water."
Sun hinted there might be a slight price rise after Yangtze water is diverted to Beijing, but did not reveal any detailed plan.
Beijing's latest water price hike was in May, when the city adopted a tiered pricing system for the first time.
Presently, the lowest tier price is 5 yuan per cubic meter for households with an annual consumption of less than 180 cubic meters, which covers 90 percent of all households.
Households with annual water consumption between 180 and 260 cubic meters are charged 7 yuan per cubic meter. The water price for annual consumption over 260 cubic meters is 9 yuan per cubic meter.
Meanwhile, 8.15 yuan is charged for each cubic meter of water in industrial consumption.
The price for major water consumers, such as purified water plants, car-washes and bath houses, is 160 yuan per cubic meter. The same price is applicable to golf courses and ski resorts.
"Easing the drought in Beijing and northern China in general requires the public to use water more efficiently," said Prof. Xu Xinyi.
"Most Beijing residents are totally unaware of the city's water shortages," said Xu. "It's important to raise public awareness of water conservation and promote water-saving household appliances."
Posters saying "Save water for future generations" and "The last drop of water on Earth will be a human tear" are often seen on TV, in restaurants and public toilets in major Chinese cities.
"We have to build a water-saving society. People's awareness is as important as the south-to-north water diversion project itself," said Xu.
Beijing retiree Feng Faguang is hoping the arrival of Yangtze water will improve drinking water quality in his community in Beijing's southern district of Fengtai.
"The tap water tastes bad and we always buy bottled water," said Feng, 69.
As a native of Beijing, Feng remembers the days when the moat water was clean and drinkable, and a well was dug easily to fetch water. "Nowadays the moat is dirty with little water, and it's hard to dig a well."
"Yangtze water can also run dry," he warned. "So we must never waste water."
The massive south-to-north water transfer project has eastern, middle and western routes, transferring water to north China from the lower, middle and upper reaches of the Yangtze River.
The first phase of the eastern route started operations last year, transporting water to Shandong Province. Construction of the western route has not yet started.
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