Severe drought in China putting pressure on drinking water, agriculture

May 27 2011

"Chinese authorities will step up the release of water from the Three Gorges Dam in a bid to tackle a drought in southern China which has put pressure on drinking water, crops, shipping lanes and electricity production in what is traditionally China's most water-abundant region," the Financial Times reports (Hook/Chen, 5/24). 

According to 2point6billion.com, the "Chinese government has for the first time acknowledged the drawbacks of the Three Gorges Project in a recent statement. It admitted the project, although having worked well to prevent floods and generate power, has caused serious problems to the environment, shipping, agricultural irrigation and water supplies in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River" (Ni, 5/25).