Beijing has been collecting 1 million cubic meters of rain since
2001 in a bid to satisfy increasing demand and to supplement
underground water supplies, according to statistics released by the
Beijing Water Authority on May 22. The city uses 350,000 cubic
meters of rainwater every year.
In 2001, Beijing's municipal water authority started 22
rainwater-recycling projects in eight districts and some of the
city's public parks. Recycled rainwater is typically used for
watering the city's trees, supplementing water in the parks' lakes,
supplementing underground water supplies, and supplementing water
supplies in schools.
In Dongzhuang Park in the Youanmenwai area, a water collection
point, complete with filtration and purification systems and
spanning some 17,000 square meters, was custom-built to collect
rainwater. This project helps save the city some 10,000 cubic
meters of water each year.
At Daguanyuan Park, 37 rainwater gateways and 300 square meters
lakes and water channels were renovated to accommodate a recycling
system. The system has so far collected about 60,000 square meters
of water. Most of the garden's toilets and watering systems are
equipped with water saving and rainwater recycling technology.
No. 15 Middle School of Beijing includes a 20,000-square-meter
rainwater collection area. Filtered and purified rainwater is used
for washing the school's playground and irrigating nearby
afforested land, with annual water savings volumes reaching 7,000
cubic meters.
The collection and recycling of rainwater can be traced back to
ancient times. The most typical examples are found in the Forbidden
City, Beihai Park (formerly known as Imperial Winter Palace) and
Tuancheng (Circular Wall), where inverted underground ditches were
constructed to ensure that rainwater seeped into the soil and
absorbed by the roots of the trees.
(Beijing Daily, translated by Li Jingrong for
China.org.cn, May 23, 2005)