Blame falls on small hydropower stations
By Yang Jian |
May 26, 2011, Thursday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
SMALL hydropower stations storing water upstream in the Yangtze River region have contributed to the severe drought that has gripped central China for months, according to an investigation by Xinhua news agency.
The worst drought in 50 years has hit areas along the Yangtze River region, creating severe water shortages for more than 1.3 million hectares of farmland across seven provinces, including Jiangxi, Hunan, Hubei and Jiangsu.
More than 9.89 million people have been affected by the drought.
Many small hydropower stations generating electricity on rivers and tributaries in Jiangxi, Hubei and Hunan provinces have made conditions worse, a Xinhua report said yesterday.
Some stations upstream along the Yangtze River refused to discharge water to relieve the drought in April, resulting in damage to farmland downstream.
The stations belong to different cities or counties, making coordination difficult, the report added.
And respite is not at hand, as China's meteorological center has forecast that the drought will worsen over the next week.
The surface area of Honghu Lake in Hubei Province has decreased by a third and the depth is now less than 40 centimeters, Xinhua reported.
Fishermen on Dongting Lake in Hunan Province have begun migrating to cities seeking work as huge numbers of fish are dying, said Zhu Dezhong, director of a fishing association in the province.
A downstream section of the Huaihe River in Xuyi County, Jiangsu Province, has dried up, leaving more than 300 ships and boats stuck in the riverbed, said Ji Yufan, deputy director of the Flood Prevention and Drought Resistance Headquarters Office of the county.
The office initially transferred water from the Yangtze River to the Huaihe, but levels are also low in the Yangtze, Ji said.
Meanwhile, water levels in Taihu Lake and Hongze Lake in the province are at their lowest in 60 years.
The worst drought in 50 years has hit areas along the Yangtze River region, creating severe water shortages for more than 1.3 million hectares of farmland across seven provinces, including Jiangxi, Hunan, Hubei and Jiangsu.
More than 9.89 million people have been affected by the drought.
Many small hydropower stations generating electricity on rivers and tributaries in Jiangxi, Hubei and Hunan provinces have made conditions worse, a Xinhua report said yesterday.
Some stations upstream along the Yangtze River refused to discharge water to relieve the drought in April, resulting in damage to farmland downstream.
The stations belong to different cities or counties, making coordination difficult, the report added.
And respite is not at hand, as China's meteorological center has forecast that the drought will worsen over the next week.
The surface area of Honghu Lake in Hubei Province has decreased by a third and the depth is now less than 40 centimeters, Xinhua reported.
Fishermen on Dongting Lake in Hunan Province have begun migrating to cities seeking work as huge numbers of fish are dying, said Zhu Dezhong, director of a fishing association in the province.
A downstream section of the Huaihe River in Xuyi County, Jiangsu Province, has dried up, leaving more than 300 ships and boats stuck in the riverbed, said Ji Yufan, deputy director of the Flood Prevention and Drought Resistance Headquarters Office of the county.
The office initially transferred water from the Yangtze River to the Huaihe, but levels are also low in the Yangtze, Ji said.
Meanwhile, water levels in Taihu Lake and Hongze Lake in the province are at their lowest in 60 years.
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