March 18, 2025
    Advanced Search 
  Home>News Center>China
       
 

Low water level haunts Lijiang Rive
By Mu Zi (China Daily)
Updated: 2005-02-23 02:07

The Lijiang River, often described as a blue ribbon running through jade hairpin-like mountains, is facing a serious water shortage.

To save the river from drying up, local water authorities in Guilin, a famous tourist destination in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, plan to build three reservoirs.

They will be situated on the upper reaches of the river to store surplus water in the flood season and replenish the river in dry periods.

However, the plan, which is expected to take three years and cost 1.8 billion yuan (US$217.6 million), encountered harsh opposition from several environmental experts when it was put on the table late last year, the People's Daily reported.

Critics said the construction of the reservoirs could not supply enough water, and may devastate the local ecology.

According to local tour guides, the river has been suffering from very serious water shortages in recent years. Leisure boats' keels could often be heard grating against the riverbed in shallow water late last year.

They said the boat ride down the river from Guilin to Yangshuo has had to be shortened by 20 kilometres from the original 83 kilometres. Some of the navigable stretches were even reduced to as little as six kilometres.

But why such a water shortage?

Environmental experts hold different opinions.

Some say human encroachment is the main cause; they say mankind is chopping down too many trees at Mao'er Mountain, where the river originates.

Statistics from the local forestry department show the forests on Mao'er Mountain, which covered 40,000 hectares in 1958, had shrunk to 17,700 hectares by 1980.

Reforestation projects in the following decade helped raise the figure to 30,800 hectares, but the new trees cannot undo all the damage.

The land was badly eroded, and its capability of conserving water seriously weakened. As a result, the dry season is longer and longer, said experts.

However, others think natural factors such as scant rainfall in the dry season is the main reason for the recent water shortage.

The flood season in Guilin runs from March until August, during which 76 per cent of the year-round precipitation occurs.

These experts say droughts have happened many times in history, but at those times, the forests of the Mao'er Mountain were kept intact.

"Forests cannot solve the problem of redistributing water. The only way to solve the water problem is to build reservoirs," said Liao Shijie, a former engineer with the region's Water Resources Department.

Mo Tingjin, director of the Guilin Water Resources Bureau, said the three planned reservoirs, with a total storage capacity of 487.5 million cubic metres, could not only control flooding but also refill the river in the dry season.

However, critics said large-scale construction on the upper reaches of the river will damage the natural environment and inundate the famed karst topography along the banks of the river.

(China Daily 02/23/2005 page3)



 
  Today's Top News     Top China News
 

Beijing pushes for charter cargo flights across Straits

 

   
 

Bush threatens Europe on ending arms ban

 

   
 

Strong quake strikes Iran, over 400 dead

 

   
 

N. Korea willing to return to nuclear talks

 

   
 

Al-Jaafari likely to be next Iraqi PM

 

   
 

Does SARS virus still exist in the wild?

 

   
  Lantern fest hails dumpling arrival
   
  Doctors save heart of baby in Shanghai
   
  Private cash to help build railway line
   
  Does SARS virus still exist in the wild?
   
  Goliaths compete for nuclear plant pact
   
  Oft-delayed CCTV project set for May
   
 
  Go to Another Section  
 
 
  Story Tools  
 
Font Large Medium Small
E-Mail This Story
Print Friendly Format
Comment On This Story
Save This Story
 
  News Talk  
  It is time to prepare for Beijing - 2008  
Advertisement
         

| Home | News | Business | Living in China | Forum | E-Papers | Weather |

| About China Daily | About China Daily.com.cn | Contact Us | Site Map | Jobs |
 Copyright 2005 Chinadaily.com.cn All rights reserved. Registered Number: 20100000002731
主站蜘蛛池模板: 欧美日韩高清完整版在线观看免费| 麻豆国产精品va在线观看不卡| 成人做受120秒试看动态图| 九九电影院理论片| 欧美日韩国产剧情| 亚洲香蕉久久一区二区三区四区 | 征服人妇系列200| 久久不见久久见免费影院www日本| 最近免费中文字幕中文高清| 亚洲成a人片在线观看中文| 深夜放纵内射少妇| 免费人成网站在线高清| 老司机福利在线免费观看| 国产区精品一区二区不卡中文| 欧美乱妇高清无乱码亚洲欧美| 国产精品欧美一区二区在线看| 99爱在线精品免费观看| 好吊妞在线播放| 一级毛片大全免费播放| 扒开双腿疯狂进出爽爽动态图| 久久九九久精品国产免费直播 | 中国熟女仑乱hd| 无遮挡很爽很污很黄在线网站 | 亚洲香蕉在线观看| 国产精品无码久久四虎| 91在线丨亚洲| 在异世界迷宫开后迷宫无修改版动漫 | 日韩a级无码免费视频| 亚洲aⅴ在线无码播放毛片一线天 亚洲aⅴ在线无码播放毛片一线天 | 国自产拍91大神精品| bbw巨大丰满xxxx| 女女同性一区二区三区四区| 一级日韩一级欧美| 成人动漫综合网| 不卡精品国产_亚洲人成在线| 成人网站在线进入爽爽爽| 中文字幕热久久久久久久| 日本亚洲黄色片| 久久人人爽爽爽人久久久| 日本媚薬痉挛在线观看免费| 久久国产中文字幕|