China's water security arouses international concern

A forum discussing common water security issues in the Asia-Pacific region, recently held here in Beijing, addressed China's river issues, including its pollution and scarcity.

CRI's Cao Yuwei has more.

Mark Brindal, Former Minister for Water Resources for the South Australian government, suggested that China cooperate with its neighboring countries in building dams in light of serious pollution problem in Chinese rivers.

"There is, though, the opportunity for China to cooperate with downstream states if necessary to husband the waters by building dams in an environmentally sensitive manner."

According to China's Ministry of Water Resources, up to 40 percent of China's rivers were seriously polluted in 2011 after 75 billion tons of sewage and waste water was discharged into them.

Mark Brindal also warned that the environmental damage could be immense if water is being diverted into an already polluted river. He cited China's polluted rivers as a theoretical example.

"When we scramble for these precious resources, we can divert the water. What is the productive benefit of what you have done? For instance, if we take a theoretical example: we divert river into China, into an already polluted river, is the water that has been diverted more capable and productive than it was had it been taken into the sea?"

In addition, China's water resources per capita is only 2,100 cubic meters annually, equivalent to about 28 percent of the world's average, making about two-thirds of Chinese cities "water-needy".

The forum was part of a two-day meeting sponsored by the Council for Security Cooperation at the Asia Pacific and China Institute of International Studies. Some 160 diplomats and scholars from both home and abroad participated in the discussions.