Int'l Symposium on Water Resources Opens in TianjinWater shortages are severely restricting the development of human society, and people must become more aware of the water crisis and enhance cooperation to maintain safe and sustainable water supplies.An international symposium on the guarantee of water resources for the sustainable development of big cities in the early 21st century opened on May 8 in Tianjin, neighboring Beijing in north China. How to manage, develop, and make good use of water resources has become an important topic drawing the concern of all counties around the world. According to the symposium, water consumed by world industry and agriculture increased 20-fold over the past century, and people on May 8 use 10 times more water than their ancestors in the last century. Water resources also have become severely polluted. The United Nations has warned that without forceful action, one-third of the world's population will not have access to safe drinking water by the year 2025. China, with more than 1.2 billion people, is facing the same problem. About half of its some 600 cities are short of water, and 100 are mired in a water crisis. Chinese Vice Minister of Water Resources Zhou Wenzhi, Tianjin Mayor Li Shenglin, Beijing Vice Mayor Yue Fuhong, and H.O. Braeutigam, a special envoy of the government of Germany, all urged protection of water resources for the future of humanity. The symposium will close May 10. The Tianjin Municipal Government, one of the sponsors, also invited four well-known Chinese and foreign water resources experts to serve as consultants. |
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