More than half of Chinese cities raised their water prices this
year, aiming to fight the country's severe water shortage by
raising citizen's water-saving awareness.
The most outstanding example was Beijing. In August, the capital
raised its water price from 2.9 yuan per ton to 3.7 yuan per
ton.
It was the ninth water price hike for the city in the past 14
years, making Beijing's water most expensive in the country.
Although Beijing had a rainy summer this year, the water level
of the city's major reservoir, Miyun Reservoir, did not rise at
all.
The city transferred more than 100 million cubic meters of water
from the neighboring provinces of Shanxi and Hebei, both of which
are also parched.
"Water shortage and water pollution will be major challenges for
the country to realize its goal of building up an affluent society
in 20 years," said Wang Shucheng, Minister of Water Resources, at
an ongoing national water resources management meeting taking place
in the capital.
The latest statistics from the Ministry of Water Resources
showed that China's per capita water volume was only 2,200 cubic
meters, one quarter of the world's average.
Two-thirds of the country's more than 600 cities suffered water
shortages, and China has become one of the 13 most water-lacking
countries in the world. Water shortages cause up to 300 billion
yuan (US$36.2 billion) in economic losses in China every year.
Besides Beijing, many provinces and autonomous regions around
the country, including Shandong, Jiangsu, Shaanxi, Hunan, Yunnan,
Hubei and Guangxi, are adjusting or have already raised their water
prices in the year 2004.
China's average urban per capita water price stands at 2 yuan
per ton nowadays.
"Such low water prices cannot reflect the country's severe water
shortage and will definitely be raised remarkably in future," said
Wang Xiuqing, professor at China Agriculture University.
"Will the last drop of water on Earth be the tear of a human
being?" The question was recently written on the advertisement
billboards across the country in a bid to remind citizens of the
country's severe water shortage.
(Xinhua News Agency December 25, 2004)