- The seismic shift in population is having a significant impact on China's urban infrastructure.
- 61.5% of ground water and 28.8% of key rivers are classified as unfit for human contact.1
- Over 20% of water supply is so polluted that it cannot be used for industrial or agricultural use - much less for human consumption (a factor that, combined with air pollution, causes an estimated 6% reduction in annual GDP, according to the World Bank).1
- The Chinese Government has recognized this and has set aside $610 billion, to spend on water infrastructure between 2011 - 2030.2
- In fact, one of the world's most costly capital projects is the $68 billion North to South Water Diversion Project, which will link China's four main rivers via more than 1,800 miles of pipeline, and divert water from the south of China to population centers in the north.3
1. According to the latest report from the Chinese Ministry of Environmental Protection
2. (REUTERS (2013) After China's multibillion dollar clean-up, water still un t to drink Available from: http://www.reuters.com/ article/2013/02/20/us-china-pollution-water-idUSBRE91J19N20130220 3 The Nature Conservancy - https://blog.nature.org/conservancy/2013/07/03/a-thirst-for-growth-fueling-chinas-urban-expansion/
3. UN WATER Water and Energy Sustainability Available from: http://www.un.org/waterforlifedecade/pdf/01_2014_sustainability_eng.pdf