China Loses 100 Billion Yuan/Year for Lack of WaterWater shortages have come to cause China a yearly loss of over 100 billion yuan, with over half of its 600 cities as are found this year in a state lack of water supply. This is known from the 2000 International Technology and Equipment Exhibition opened in Beijing.China is a country lack of water resources. Though bestowed with a total reserve of 2721 billion tons of water, ranking 6th in the world, yet it takes merely a per-capita amount of no more than one fourth of the world average. Things are even much more serious in Beijing being listed among the world top ten cities suffering from a lack of water resources. Water pollution also raises a big problem when economy is developed. The Chinese government invested over 140 billion yuan in environment protection projects in 1999, a sum unheard of before, exceeding 1% of China's GNP. More funds will also be used to step up research and development of advanced technologies and new equipment for bringing about the rise of a new industry in contribution to ecological economic construction, protection of water resources and guarantee of clear water supply as arduous tasks in the 21st century. |
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