Mineral water from the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is likely to become
the first resource commercially tapped following the recent opening
of the altiplano railway.
A group of scientists and experts made the conclusion after
researching the region's development prospects, which have been
significantly increased by the Qinghai-Tibet Railway.
"Development of Tibet's mineral water resources will not only
contribute to cargo transportation on the railway, it will also
increase the value of local mineral water resources," said Dorji, a
Tibetan academician with the Chinese Academy of Sciences, who made
the suggestion to the geological and mineral exploitation bureau of
the Tibet Autonomous Region.
The bureau has located over 100 drinking water springs with the
largest source found in Damxung County, which can produce 3,000
tons of drinking water a day.
The daily output of the lake in Damxung could fill 50 train cars
or two trains, said Lu Yan, a senior engineer with the bureau.
"Bottling the Damxung mineral water could generate an annual
output value of one billion yuan (US$125 million)," said Lu.
Dubbed Asia's Water Tower, the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is the
source region for the major rivers in China and is home to the
largest lake resources in China.
The 1,956-kilometer-long Qinghai-Tibet Railway, the first
railway connecting the Tibet Autonomous Region with other parts of
China, reduces the transport costs of exploring resources in the
virgin land.
(Xinhua News Agency July 24, 2006)