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Vital Water Resources Diverted to Beijing

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Green Olympics at Great Cost
 Beijing Redirects Essential Water from the South The Chinese Communist Party sacrifices people's basic water usage to build the "Green Olympic" image. Chinese communist authorities have spent 1.7 billion U.S. dollars to build new Olympic stadiums... the most ever in the history of the games. And as part of a campaign to create a green image for Beijing, authorities are diverting water from nearby provinces to dry rivers and lakes in the capital. But where the water is coming from is what has many Chinese angry. Here's more from our China News team. STORY: Beijing has serious water pollution problems. Many reservoirs have almost dried up and there is barely enough water for current residents. There are big concerns about whether there would be enough water to go around when people arrive in the Chinese capital for the Games. Water usage will reportedly increase 30 percent. So to address this issue Chinese communist authorities plan to divert water from nearby provinces into the city, in order to meet their Green Olympics agreement, showing how the Games can improve the environment. But how this effort has many worried. Water is being channeled via a canal from the Yangtze River in Hebei and Shaanxi provinces to flush out pollutants in Beijing. But these two provinces need water more than ever now. They are currently in the midst of a horrible drought... the worst seen in 50 years. Drinking water is hard to come by in some areas, and now this precious resource is going straight to Beijing. The project has people like water expert Wang Weiluo worried. [Wang Weiluo, Water Expert]: Quote 1
 "Water diverting is in fact a violation of the laws of nature. In those areas, farmers are actually short of water. They have to irrigate the land and live very modestly. They divert the water to Beijing just for the Olympics. It's just a show, a show to create a healthy water environment in Beijing, and also to fill up the huge pools in front of the National Theatre." Wang says the water shortage in Beijing is a direct result of manmade pollution, and cannot be solved through water diverting. [Wang Weiluo, Water Expert]: Quote 2
 "In the 1950s the Guan Ting Reservoir had 1.9 billion cubic meters of water... now only 200 million cubic meters are left. Failed water projects and pollution have destroyed the environment and drained water resources. Now Beijing has a 'Divert the South Water to the North' plan, but the water problem still remains. Because the local resources have been destroyed, you cannot rely on foreign resources to solve the problem." Beijing's population has more than quadrupled since the 1960s, with more than 18 million people calling the city their home. NTD Beijing And today Real Madrid is hoping to overturn their first-leg defeat by AS Roma. As well as having to overcome a strong Roma defence, Real will need to keep a clean sheet against the free-scoring Italians. The nine-time European champions' have failed in their last four attempts at making last eight. [Bernd Schuster, Real Madrid Coach]: "A night of only Robinho will not be enough. Tomorrow is a match in which the team needs to perform almost perfectly to move on after this match." The winner of the Quiksilver Pro crown on Australia's Gold Coast is eight-time world champion Kelly Slater. From the United States Slater has returned to the top of the surfing world by beating the reigning world champion Mick Fanning of Australia. It was a return to form for Slater who finished third last year in the points table. Large crowds watched the event, the first of the international surfing series. Slater's win gives him 1,200 points and a lead in the 2008 ASP men's world tour. The Indian cricketers delighted their fans back home with another stunning victory over world champions Australia. India made 258 for nine from their 50 overs. They then bowled out the Australians for 249 in the last over. The game was played in Brisbane at the Gabba. A 2 to nil white wash in the final of the tri-series means the Indian fans could finally celebrate. [Pradeep, Cricket Fan]: "It was a team effort. They played splendid cricket today and have won a rubber in Australia after 25 years." In Ranchi, the town where the captain comes from jubilant fans hit the streets with fireworks to mark the historic victory. And fans gave India's junior cricket team a rousing welcome home too. They defeated South Africa in the final of the under-19 World Cup on Sunday.

Category: News
Uploaded: March 5th, 2008 @ 9:34 pm
Author: NTDTV

Length: 02:21
Rating: Whole StarWhole StarWhole StarHalf Star
Views: 2,952

Tags: beijing divertion ntdtv resources water

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