China_Water_Supply

=**Don't Worry?**=

//What's Making Its Way Into China's Water Supply?//
(Image from: )

__**THE PROBLEM**__
 * Just this week, it was announced that the level of water pollution reported in China for 2007 was less than half of the actual amount. **
 * 1) This was the first thorough and public inspection of China’s pollution problems. The chemical oxygen demand test was used to determine the amount of waste in China’s waterways.
 * 2) The inspection took 2 years to complete.
 * 3) There was a major difference between the previously documented amount and the present findings because government officials excluded the waste from fertilizers, pesticides, and runoff from landfills.
 * 4) Surveyors conducted a more detailed inspection of industrial and household emissions in addition to using a different statistical approach for calculating the levels of waste.
 * 5) Many factories also added to the toxic state of the water by dumping their waste into the rivers and lake.
 * 6) The problem was also hard to regulate because it was hard to maintain watch over the farmers and their use of pesticides.

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 * Junguo Liu of the Beijing Forestry University explained that the water footprint in China has doubled since 1985 because the Chinese people have begun to consume larger meals (and water is essential for creating the increase in food supply). **======
 * 1) ======The lack of water will possibly lead to increased prices for food.======

**The inaccurate data was presented by Vice Environment Protection Minister Zhang Lijun.**

 * 1) He originally reported that water pollution had decreased from 2006 by about 3%.
 * 2) Also, information and reports concerning the results of this inspection were not available to the citizens of China.

**A large amount of the pollution comes from companies that dump their chemical waste into the waterway, leading to the death of many fish and the increase of reproduction abnormalities.**
__**SOME STATISTICS**____**/WHY IT IS NOT SUSTAINABLE**__


 * While China makes up 22% of the globe's population, it only has access to 8% of the earth's surface freshwater. **
 * 1) ====== In 2007, it was originally reported that there were 13.8 million tons of waste in the water but there was actually 30.3 million tons of waste in the water. ======
 * 2) ====== Acid-rain was responsible for creating 23.2 million metric tons of sulfur dioxide emissions. ======



It was estimated by government officials that the water supply in China can only tolerate 7.4 million tons of waste per year but in reality, it collects approximately 13.8 million tons per year. **
 * 1) ====== To have any chance of improving this problem, the Chinese people must cut their emissions by more than 50%. ======


 * By 2050, it is most likely that China will need to accommodate a 1.4 billion human population.**
 * 1) ====== The International Water Management Institute and the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization estimated that the demand for food in China will double in the next 40 years—meaning that the amount of water needed for harvesting crop and raising livestock will need to increase by approximately 40-50%. ======
 * 2) ====== At the current rate, China needs 47% more irrigated land and 70% more water to accommodate the rise in population which is difficult because 94% of workable land is already in use. ======
 * 3) ====== Just as examples, 35 cubic feet of water is required to produce about 2 and 1/5 pounds of rice and 445 cubic feet of water is needed for the equivalent weight of beef. ======

__**A POSSIBLE SOLUTION**__

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There are many steps that can be taken to improve this issue. For starters, the Chinese government can be more open with its citizens about the levels of water pollution in their country. By creating this awareness, Chinese citizens would become more conscious of how much waste they produce and where they put it. It would also alert the Chinese people to the toxic state of their water sources so that they could be careful with the water they consume. Allowing the Chinese people access to reports concerning water waste would also create a loose checks and balances system to keep the government honest and open about the levels of pollution and the state of their water supply—considering that water is one of the greatest necessities in life. ======

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The government should also establish and enforce stricter regulations on waste management to reduce the amount that makes its way into the waterways. In this way, they could prohibit any toxic waste from being dumped into the water. Regulations could also be made concerning the amount of water used and the application pesticides. These issues are important to control because if the types and amounts of pesticides are limited then the chance of pesticides getting into the water supply are greatly diminished. Likewise, if the amount of water used is regulated then the Chinese people will have a more sustainable supply of water as opposed to using excessive amounts of water and leaving what little is left to be highly concentrated with toxins and other waste. ======

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Programs should also be founded to help clean the water in China. In the few articles I read, everyone reported on the shocking state of the water in China but no one said what would be done to help the existing situation except to reduce the amount of waste in the following years. Lastly, China needs better sewage system. Since the Chinese people do not have proper sewage systems throughout the country, a lot of people just jump their waste straight into the rivers. They need a place to store and take care of their waste. ======

__**REFERENCES**__

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Ansfield, Jonathan and Keith Bradsher. “China Report Shows More Pollution in Waterways.” The New York Times, 9 Feb. 2010. Web. 10 Feb 2010. . ======

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Graham-Harrison, Emma. “China Says Water Pollution Double Official Figure.” Reuters, 9 Feb. 2010. Web. 10 Feb. 2010. . ======

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Jian Gong, Yong Ran, Diyun Chen, Yu Yang and Xiaoxuan Ma. “Occurrence and Environmental Risk of Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals in Surface Waters of the Pearl River, South China.” // Environmental Monitoring and Assessment // 156.1-4 (2008): 199-210. 1 Aug. 2008. Web. 10 Feb 2010. ======

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Lu Li, Zhi-Hua Shi, Wei Yin, Dun Zhu, Sai Leung Ng, Chong-Fa Cai and A-Lin Lei. “A Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (FAHP) Approach to Eco-Environmental Vulnerability Assessment for the Danjiangkou Reservoir Area, China.” //Ecological Modelling// 220.23 (2009): 3439-3447. 10 Dec. 2009. Web. 10 Feb 2010. ======

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Owen, James. “Booming Middle-Class Diet May Stress Asia's Water Needs.” National Geographic News, 28 Aug. 2009. Web. 10 Feb. 2010. . ======