Qingcaosha, a riverbank area sandwiched between two of
Shanghai's satellite islets, will become the city's new major water
source, the Xinhua News Agency reported yesterday.
Located to the north of Changxing Island, the area spanning some
70 sq km will be used for the construction of the city's third
reservoir, with water sourced from the Yangtze. Construction is
expected to begin soon.
Official information about the projected costs has yet to be
released, although some media reports have speculated the figure
will be about 16 billion yuan ($2.2 billion).
The reservoir, which is scheduled for completion in 2010, will
have a storage capacity of about 553 million cu m, with an
estimated daily supply of nearly 7.2 million cu m. It will provide
more than 50 percent of the city's water.
Currently, the city has two major water sources, with one
located near the upper reaches of the Huangpu River, accounting for
nearly 80 percent of the total supply, and the other, the Chenhang
reservoir, located at the mouth of the Yangtze.
Shanghai has an abundance of water resources because of its
location at the mouth of the Yangtze, but lacks quality fresh
water.
The Huangpu, the primary water source for the city before the
1980s, has been seriously polluted by activities associated with
the city's fast economic development. Shanghai's primary water
source, therefore, has gradually moved north to the upper reaches
of the Huangpu.
The United Nations named Shanghai as one of six cities globally
facing severe water shortages.
Chen Jiyu, a professor at the State Key Laboratory of Estuarine
and Coastal Research at East China Normal University, first raised
the Yangtze River proposal in 1990.
The subsequent second reservoir, built near the mouth of the
river, now contributes 20 percent of the city's total water supply.
About 10 million city residents will benefit from the third
reservoir, Chen said.
"The water quality of the Yangtze is far better than that of the
Huangpu, which is facing increasingly serious hazards from
pollution," Chen said.
"The Yangtze is an ideal alternative source for Shanghai due to
its larger water supply as well as geographical vicinity."
The reservoir will be able to ensure supplies of fresh water for
up to 68 consecutive days during the salt tide periods, when it is
impossible to draw fresh water from the Yangtze, Chen said.
(China Daily January 16, 2008)
