Earth Equity News

Beijing Siphons Water from Its Long-Parched Neighbor. By Chris Buckley, Reuters, September 18, 2008. "China's capital started pumping 'emergency' water from its long-parched neighboring province on Thursday, with officials speaking of a 'grim' shortfall weeks after the Olympics when they said the city had enough water. Hebei, which surrounds Beijing, will pump 300 million cubic meters of water to the capital from three dams which usually supply nearby farms, towns and cities, the province water office said... Officials said the capital faced a serious shortfall but made no secret of the strains the transfer places on Hebei, which faces its own chronic water scarcity. 'Owing to continuous drought in recent years, the water situation in the capital Beijing is grim and water sources are quite strained,' said a statement on the website, adding that the two government had reached an agreement on the supplies."