Water-starved villagers forced to dig deep on the capital’s outskirts

A covered well is located close to an open garbage dump in Shuimo village, Haidian district, Beijing. Photo: Cui Meng/GT

As a young man from Gansu Province, Xiao Min (pseudonym) never imagined one day he would have to dig a water well in a big city like Beijing, especially in a community so close to his dream school - Tsinghua University.

The 24-year-old has been living in Shuimo village, Haidian district for months - a village quickly going dry.

Like many of his neighbors, Xiao is a salesman employed in Beijing's electronics hub Zhongguancun, a 10-minute bus ride from his less than 10-square meter home.

But Xiao is struggling for something better. He is currently studying for the postgraduate entrance examination later this year.

"I want to move to a quieter place unlike this one. Away from crying babies late at night and the sound of water pumping," Xiao told the Global Times.

His home, a dark room in a three-story house located in the middle of the village, costs him 600 yuan ($95) a month.

"At least this house doesn't need a well or a water pump," he said.

New to Shuimo village, Xiao is still not used to the noises of other residents collecting buckets of water during the night.

Over the years, Shuimo village has seen numerous water shortages. But despite the continued influx of migrant workers from across China, Shuimo's water woes are not likely to be solved anytime soon.

The village is slated for demolition and resettlement, with officials preaching that only by decentralizing the population can the city guarantee a stable water supply.

Never enough

Over an area of 0.25 square kilometers, tens of thousands crowd the three main streets of Shuimo village and their numerous wells. At a rough count, there are at least eight. Residents estimate between 10 and 40 scattered around the village.

Many restaurant owners contacted by the Global Times claimed that their landlords dug wells to guarantee water supplies for their businesses. In addition, they would collect extra water for the next day during the early morning and late night.

Water has been a scarce resource in Shuimo village for the past three years, residents explain. "This summer was the toughest. Many dug wells in August. It's such a relief when the hot weather ends and water usage drops," said a resident surnamed Zhang.

The village has also been a boon for well-digging teams, whose advertisements can be seen everywhere in the village. Prices for a 30 meter well range from 30,000 to 35,000 yuan, while anything deeper can cost up to 1,500 yuan a meter, according to several teams reached by the Global Times.

"In August alone I've dug five wells in Shuimo," boasted Zhang Haijun, head of a local well-digging team. "It only takes a few days to finish a well. If you want a shallower one like other villagers have, I can't guarantee you can drink from it, but you can definitely use it for doing laundry and such."

Unlike other villages in Beijing, Shuimo has no municipal water supply. In its place, northern neighbor Tsinghua University, whose land Shuimo occupies, has been providing the village 2,500 tons of water every month since the 1980s.

However, the population has since boomed, causing a drop in water pressure due to the inadequate pipeline installed decades ago, media reported.

"Those at the northern end of our village have a more ample water supply, while those at the southern end often experience shortages. The water runs from north to south. Obviously, those at the north take a lot of water," said a resident.

Jiang Hong (pseudonym), a 50-year-old landlord in Shuimo, has seen "way too many" people over the past decade. "There used to be all one-story houses in our village," Jiang told the Global Times. He has since added two floors to his house and divided the second floor into 16 rooms. On Shuimo East Street, some buildings now reach five stories.

"We are appreciative of Tsinghua's continued water supply, especially since we have not paid water fees for 10 years. The free water and convenient location attracted more people," said Jiang.

Going deeper

According to China's Water Law, only qualified teams with approval from local water authorities can dig wells, which must be registered once complete. Violators face fines between 20,000 yuan and 60,000 yuan and having their wells sealed.

"The district water supervision team and urban management authority have intervened in Shuimo. Those wells are obviously unauthorized," Liu Zhongmin, an official with Beijing Haidian Water Authority, told Beijing Youth Daily.

Liu noted that many wells in Shuimo are only 30 meters - too shallow to contain potable groundwater. "Usually, wells for drinking water should be hundreds of meters deep. Such deep wells may not be feasible in the densely-populated Shuimo village," Liu explained.

The village's well-digging teams were alerted of the inspection. "It's not easy to make money in Shuimo anymore now that the water shortage has been brought to light by media. If you insist on having us dig a well, you have to guarantee that no law enforcement officers will be around," said a team owner surnamed Ding.

Meanwhile, many wells in Shuimo are located on the street and covered by only a blanket or a wooden board. One, in particular, was located right next to an open garbage dump and close to a public restroom.

"Of course I am worried about safety. I've also heard about sink holes opening up because of the wells. There are too many wells in our small village, but there is nothing we can do about it. After all, there is nothing anybody can do about the chaos here and you can't let people go thirsty," Jiang noted.

In fact, illegal well-digging is common in other villages on the outskirts of Beijing, such as Guangzhuang in Chaoyang district, media reported.

For people like Xiao, drinking from possibly contaminated wells does not seem like a big deal, especially when he is saving so much money on rent.

"Of course I can't live here forever. This place is horrible. But it provides motivation for me to work harder for a better life," Xiao said.