Water canal in Central China raises a flood of questions
- Source: Global Times
- [02:12 December 31 2009]
- Comments
By Deng Jingyin
Experts and residents who live near two rivers are concerned that a project to link the Yangtze River to the Hanjiang River in Hubei Province to alleviate a possible water shortage could cause unforeseen problems.
The project was launched after an existing project to divert water from the upper reaches of the Hanjiang River to northern China is expected to create a water shortage in the lower reach of the Hanjiang.
To alleviate the shortage, workers are building a canal that will help pull water in from the Yangtze River.
According to the schedule, about 9.5 billion cubic meters of water will be diverted from the Hanjiang into northern China every year, or one-quarter of the river's volume.
"The sharp reduction in water will most likely affect the ecological environment in the region," Xu Ming, an expert from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, told the Global Times Thursday.
To cope with the impact, the project to divert water from the Yangtze River to make up for the water in Hanjiang was launched in Qianjiang last month and is scheduled to finish in four years.
The project is expected to help irrigate to at least 100 million additional acres of farmland and raise the Hanjiang's water level by 10 meters.
"Extending about 67 kilometers, the project to divert water from the Yangtze to the Hanjiang will bring new blood to the later, benefiting shipping, irrigation, economy development and ecosystem," Xu said.
However, local residents living along the Hanjiang's lower reach were more concerned with the local ecosystem.
"This project will improve ecological environment but may not stop the pollution, such as eutrophication," Xu added.
Furthermore, as a man-made canal, the project is bound to change the relation between the two rivers, so the public believe its economic benefits should be evaluated in the context of its impact on the whole basin.
"If the Yangtze River developed water shortage, how to keep diverting water from it into Hanjiang? And how much will be spent on follow-up remedies?" Zhou Shuangling, a Wuhan resident, asked.
According to Xu, who has been engaged in research about the ecosystem of the Yangtze River for years, said this project is feasible to alleviate problems with the Hanjiang River.
"We can't put forward a better solution now. But remedies should be put on the agenda as the project progresses, especially to help preserve the environment," Xu said.
