Beijing's water supply in summer nears limit

Beijing waterworks group says the city's peak period for water consumption has passed. The highest daily water usage hit 3.1 million cubic meters this summer, a record as the city's only held a maximum capacity of just 80,000 cubic meters more than that demand.

The company also reported an earlier peak period compared to previous years.

The city's water consumption from May to July was at over 200 million cubic meters, 9 million cubic meters more than the same period last year. Authorities said the water availability per capita in Beijing was below 100 cubic meters in recent years, the lowest in the country, The city faces an annual shortage of 1.5 billion cubic meters of water.