Droughts raise water supply concerns
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E-mail China Daily, March 7, 2013
In the Chuxiong Yi autonomous prefecture, where the drinking water of more than 152,000 people is now under threat, authorities said they have devoted more than 220,000 people and 31 million yuan to drought-relief, building 530 wells and 187 pump stations.
Experts say that climate change is a factor, as the province received less than normal rainfall during last year's rainy season and recorded higher temperatures in January and February.
"The amount of rainfall last year is directly related to the drought situation this year and has a lot to do with the amount of water preserved in reservoirs and storage ponds," Bi said.
According to Yunnan's meteorological bureau, the average temperature in 104 counties and prefectures is now 2 C higher than in the past.
"The higher temperatures increase evaporation and make it more difficult for reservoirs and ponds to retain water," said Li Xie, an engineer on a water conservation project being completed by the water authority in Songming.
In most areas of Yunnan, which lie in tropical and subtropical areas, rain is usually concentrated between July and October and rainfall is scarce during the rest of the year.
Close to 90 percent of the province is mountainous, which increases the difficulty of construction of irrigation and water conservation projects.
Actions inefficient
Zheng Xiaoyun, a water resources researcher at Yunnan Academy of Social Sciences, said that four consecutive years of drought during spring and winter in Yunnan indicate that seasonal droughts could become the norm rather than the exception in the future.
However, he said government action currently being taken to deal with the water shortage remains short term and inefficient.
Even though the measures being taken have improved people's water supply, "the authorities are just not paying enough attention to the longer-term drought problems," he said.
Zheng added that the current drought will have far-reaching effects on the local community, including forcing more workers from rural areas to become migrant workers in other provinces, putting further strains on local authority finances.
"The continuous drought will continue to force the government to devote more resources to relief efforts, taking money away from other important areas, which will certainly affect the local development," he said, insisting the government should develop longer-term plans, even to the extent of creating special administrations which could manage all the drought-relief efforts.
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