Northeast China Faces Serious Water ShortageLittle rain in northeast China's Jilin Province has caused a serious water shortage in this provincial capital, said to be the most serious one in the last one hundred years.To deal with the problem, the city government has decided to start supplying water to four regions at different time periods, lessening daily water use by a total 200,000 cubic meters as of Thursday. All the public bathrooms, swimming pools and car washing and cleaning centers have stopped running, The local afforestation bureau is required to substitute river or lake water for tap water to irrigate the green patches and trees along the roads. Enterprises are also ordered to lessen water usage by either one fifth or one ninth. The average temperature in the city since June 1 has been 24.5 degrees Celsius, 3.6 degrees higher than usual. Northeast China, once a cool area in summer, has become a "furnace". Most local dams and rivers have dried up, and the water reserve in the two main reservoirs for the city's production and daily life are now only 10 million cubic meters or another 20 or 30 days' supply. Continuous high temperature and little rain may reduce the city's industrial output value by six billion yuan (about 720 million US dollars) and profits by around 300 million yuan. Drought-hit farmland in the city has now reached some 100,000 hectare. |
| People's Daily Online --- http://www.peopledaily.com.cn/english/ |