Beneath Booming Cities, China’s Future Is Drying Up

China teeters on the edge of a water crisis. The country has five times the population of the United States, but less water, with the bulk of that supply in the south. Past policy mistakes, a dense population, climate change and galloping economic growth has shrunk China’s water supply. Agricultural irrigation accounts for most water usage, and pollution taints sources nationwide. The Communist Party recognizes that crisis looms and any solutions require tough political choices, including conservation laws, reduced subsidies and bans on winter-wheat crops in the northern regions. But such measures increase the nation’s dependence on world grain markets, instigating price inflation throughout the developing world. Water-transfer projects and increased urbanization might ease some imbalances, but could also reduce water and air quality. Local leaders stubbornly embrace development: “We have a water shortage, but we have to develop,” says Wang Yongli, a senior engineer with the water conservation bureau in Shijiazhuang to the New York Times. “And development is going to be put first.” The world’s most populated country taking water for granted is a recipe for political and economic instability throughout the region. – YaleGlobal