1)Explain the factors which have contributed to Chinas Water crisis.

(12) We can divide the factors contributing to Chinas water crisis into 2 categories, Human and Physical factors. For human factors, since 1990s, China had experienced a very dramatic economic growth with a sustaining 8 10% annual GDP growth. This has raised around 200 million people out of poverty. However the economic growth is brought through manufacturing goods for foreign companies invested. This bring a huge environmental damage to China. 70% of Chinas lakes and five of the largest river systems are polluted, becoming a threat to human threats. The growth of urban population is also one of the factor leading to water crisis As 36% of Chinas population maintained a sustain growth of 3.2% per year. Combined with the rapid of urbanization, attracting more people to move to urban areas for jobs and seek better future, leading to more pressure on fresh water resources. Nearly two thirds of 660 cities nationwide, mostly located in coastal areas report water shortages with 50 cities suffer major subsidence due to excessive groundwater removal. Industrialization also contributes to the water crisis. With the Chinas cheap and competitive price for manufacturing, more FDI has come in and set up factories. This release a high amount of greenhouse gases such as CO2, encouraging the process of global warming. With the sustain increase in temperature for the past decade, scientist have recently reported that glaciers in Qinghai-Tibet plateau of western China are melting more rapidly than the past, it is now shrinking at 7% per year. It has been warmed by 2 degrees since 1980s.This has increase the exposed area of dark coloured rock, which changes the surface albedo leading to a positive feedback, speeding up the rise in temperature. Yangtze, Yellow, Brahmaputra, Melong and Salween rivers are sourced from the glazier. These rivers supply over 5000 million people downstream. In short term, there will be increase of fresh water supply due to more ice is melt in the upstream. However in long term, there will no longer have a sustainable water resources in the future as no water will be stored enough when the ice is melted faster than it is formed. Affecting the not only freshwater resources but also rice, grain and fisheries production as Yangtze River accounts for 40% of Chinas freshwater supply. It also bring pollution to the water resources, from World Watch Institute states that China generates nearly 1 billion tons of untreated wastewater, this once again lower the amount of usable fresh water, making the resources more scares. For Physical factors, the climate of China is rather diverse. It is warm and wet in the south east but dry in the north. In the south precipitation is brought by summer monsoons, but very uncertain in the north and the west as it is mostly desert areas. The change in climate is affecting the ice coverage of the glaciers on the Tibetan Plateau, which is the start of the Yangtze river and affecting the water resources forming the river. So far the temperature in mainland China has risen about 1.1 degrees for the last few decades. There are also trend of drying in Yellow river basin. Hinting a fall in total amount of water resources can be use in the future.

1b) Evaluate the possible impacts of Chinas large-scale water management schemes on people and the environment There are total three schemes mentioned. Three Gorges Dam, North South Diversion and Desalinisation. China plans to use around 50 billion cubic meters of sea water annually to produce 800 million to one billion litres of fresh water per day. This method can secure a large amount of fresh water resources. As 97% of earths water is sea water, 3% of fresh water where only 1% is accessible and rest of it is trapped in glaciers. Ocean is a very reliable source of water as it is always there, so desalinization of sea water offers a secure source of water. The water produced from desalinization is safe and clean to drink. This can meet the demand of water of the population in China for basic drinking and also cultivation. Desalination process is usally matched with power plants, it is also known as cogeneration. As power plants only achieve 60% efficiency with huge amounts of thermal energy being released in the process. By combining both processes together, the thermal heat released from power plants can be used to help thermodynamic desalination, helping to reduce energy costs for running desalination plants. However, the process of desalination requires a lot of energy with 4kW per kiloliter. This will put pressure on the environment as more fuel is needed to generate the electricity required to run the desalination plants. Which creates more carbon emission and creates a bigger pollution problem. The by-product of desalination is salt, if the ssalt is not disposed correctly, it will damage the ecology of the aquatic life. E.g. in USA from 1999 to 2000, there is a annual mortality of 55000 invertebrates and 78000 fish. The Three Gorges Dam project aimed to use the high amount of water flow in Yangtze River to generate electricity through HEP with state of the art turbines. After the construction has completed, it increases the shipping capacity of the river, allowing 10000 ton freighters to enter that nations interior, benefiting cargo transportation. Reduction of the potential of floods in the down stream as it provides flood storage space, protecting the lives and property of the residence. The electricity generated through the dams power generation turbine is around84.7BkWh per year, which is equivalent of burning 50 million tons of coal, reducing the emission of 100 million tons of carbon dioxide and up to two million tons of sulfur dioxide, ten thousand tons of carbon monoxide, 370,000 tons of nitrogen oxide, which is more sustainable and more environmental friendly. However, this project caused the rise of water level at the upstream and flooded 1000 archaeological and cultural sites. 1.3 million people are forced to be relocated, destroying the local community. There are also lost of biodiversity around 3000 to 4000 remaining endangered Siberian Cranes wintered in wetlands are destroyed. The North South Diversion scheme which is aimed to transfer the water from the wetter south to dry north and Three Gorges Dam plays part of the role in the scheme. This could bring 44.8 billion cubic metres of 1c) Suggest ways in which China could balance its desire to develop with a more sustainable use of water resources.