China - land of opportunity?

摘要

Over half of the cities in China suffer form chronic water shortages, more than 100 of these have severe problems; 70 percent of the rainfall occurs during the summer and autumn months, and about 30 percent of the surface water and groundwater is to be found in the Yangtze river watershed. These imbalances cause particularly acute water shortages in the northern and coastal regions of China a problem exacerbated by the continuing rise throughout the country of urban water consumption. In addition China suffers from insufficient municipal wastewater treatment plants and only 34 percent of the effluent arising from urban areas receives any treatment. It is against this background that British Water, the industry trade association, and Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), with support from Trade Partners UK (TPUK) and the China-Britain Business Council, plan to host a mission to China in September 2003. This will be the latest in a series of such events that began in July 1998.