China may run out of water by 2030
7 November 2006
A senior environmental official warned Sunday that China could run out of water by 2030. Hu Siyi, vice-minister of water resources said China is expected to use 700-800 billion cubic metres of water per year but according to state media there may be only 800-900 billion cubic metres available, the South China Morning Post reported. "If we don't adopt effective measures soon our country will face a daunting water resource crisis," Hu said during a two-day academic conference in Hefei, Anhui Province. The country has been battling water shortages in the northern and western provinces for more than a decade. Burgeoning economic growth has only aggravated the problem.