中國全速前進
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圖為中國南水北調工程示意圖
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中國的水資源問題 為解決水資源短缺問題，中國正在改造河道。 ????中國水資源問題嚴重。世界銀行（World Bank）的數據顯示，中國人均可利用水資源量大約只有世界其他地區的三分之一。也就是說，中國需要用占世界二十分之一的水資源去滿足占世界人口五分之一的居民的用水需求。隨著經濟的快速增長與工業化的發展，中國需要拿出辦法來增加水的供應量。 ????中國宏偉的土木工程歷史又翻開了新的一頁。中國正在嘗試把數萬億加侖的水從水資源相對豐富的南方地區轉移到極度干涸的北方地區。根據規劃，這個所謂的南水北調工程將分成東線、中線和西線三條調水線路實施，都是將長江的水北送。第一條線路在最東邊（也就是東線）已經將近竣工，將通過黃河河床底部的隧洞把長江水調送到天津。中線按計劃應該會在2015年貫通，西線在2030年前不大可能竣工。如果這個工程能夠奏效，等到全面竣工時，中國最大河流長江的水流將有百分之十調送到北方。 ????研究機構Stratfor的東亞分析師約翰?明尼克稱：“這項工程完美地彰顯了中國政府令人難以置信的膽量。中國南水北調工程之宏大令人難以置信。” ????哈佛大學肯尼迪政府學院（Harvard Kennedy School of Government）的研究員斯科特?摩爾說，據估計這項工程將耗資620億美元。但是實際耗費要比這高得多。由于南水北調工程的實施，成千上萬的居民不得不搬遷至其他地方。盡管有這項工程，人們對水質與水資源總體短缺的擔憂情緒依然揮之不去。 ????不過，考慮到中國經濟的快速增長，各種龐大的項目完全會給人務實的印象。畢馬威的葉偉成說：“一方面，這必定會對環境造成影響；另一方面，北方確實水資源嚴重不足。如果不這樣做，還有什么別的辦法嗎？”(財富中文網) ????譯者：默默 |
China's water wars To solve its water shortages, China is rerouting its rivers ????China has a water problem. According to the World Bank, China's per capita water availability is about one-third of what's available to the rest of the world. Put another way: China has to accommodate one-fifth of the world's population on 1/20th of its water. With rapid growth and industrialization, the country needs to come up with a way to increase its supply. ????And so China has taken another page out of its ambitious civil-engineering playbook. It is attempting to physically divert trillions of gallons of water from the relatively water-rich south to the parched north. The plan is broken up into three pieces, all bringing water from the Yangtze River northward: The first route, farthest east, is nearly finished and will pump water under the Yellow River to Tianjin. The central route should come online in 2015, and the western route is not likely to be completed before 2030. If the plan works, by the time it is completed, up to 10% of the flow of the country's largest river will have been diverted. ????"This is a project that perfectly exemplifies the incredible bravado of the Chinese government," says John Minnich, an East Asia analyst for the research group Stratfor. "The enormity of what China is trying to pull off is mind-boggling." ????The total price tag for the project is estimated at $62 billion, but the actual cost is likely to be much higher, says Scott Moore, a fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. Hundreds of thousands of residents have been displaced by the rerouting of the river. And environmental concerns over water quality and overall scarcity persist despite the construction. ????Still, given China's massive growth, gargantuan projects can look downright pragmatic. "On one level, there's bound to be environmental impact," says KPMG's Stephen Ip. "On the other hand, we don't have enough water in the north. Where are we going to get it from?" |
