An Evermore Thirsty Tianjin

Water Conservation & Transportation

By Richard J. Cook

This month a major milestone in Tianjin's water supply was marked by the opening of further tributaries to the "Danjiangkou Diversion", a major south to north water diversion program. The milestone was immediately followed up with the announcement of the initiation of a new major water diversion artery, again designed to supply Tianjin. The follow-up announcement highlighted this project as being one of "supreme national importance", as it aims to swerve Tianjin and major urban and industrial centres of the north from a major resource disaster.

At the apex of national strategy is the crucial problem of water demand which has skyrocketed over the course of the last few years. To bring this issue into perspective, it is noted that the north of China is currently experiencing a major water crisis and has been doing so for the better part of the last 25 to 30 years. As China's economic boom intensified urbanization strategy and coordination the water problem became more and more apparent and until fairly recently had issues of demand and supply come under the microscope.

Unprecedented

The latest project aims to increase the water transfer supply from south to north along a sophisticated network of canals and waterways. An estimated 1 billion cubic meters of water will be transferred in the coming year, adding to the 45 billion transferred annually since 2002. The recent announcement has been one of the most radical and major ones to date, designed to facilitate further water supply to an estimated 8.5 million people in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, also classified as Jing-Jin-Ji.

This latest announcement additionally explains that several heavy industrial centers from Shanxi to Hebei must be relocated, also allowing for the redevelopment of these industries to incorporate newer and greener technologies. Moreover, the project requires 345,000 people to be relocated, raising concerns for local cultural heritage and relocation consultation. The scale has been described as colossal, yet specific figures for this remain in the dark.

Other major remarks have also led to public consultations within Henan and Hubei provinces about potential side projects regarding river tourism, fishing and the establishment of several water parks and reservoirs. At the centre of the issue is the reservoir improvement scheme at Wang Qingtuo and Beitang. Phase 1 of the scheme is expected to be complete by as early as spring 2017, significantly aiding Tianjin city's water supply. Beitang reservoir may well be operational as early as Christmas, relieving strained water supply efforts to the Binhai New Area.

It is expected that his pan-China project will raise the water quality as new technologies can be implemented. In addition, the project will also pave the way for further public relations interactions highlighting water conservation schemes, especially in rural areas.

The Great Water Debate

For the past 50 years there has been a great debate on the topic of water supply to the Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei region and the recent completion of the "Danjiangkou Diversion", a major water diversion from south of China to the north has satisfied the problem in the short term. The earlier constructed three canals have brought around 45 billion cubic meters of water from the south to the north annually since 2002.

Yet during China's Exponential urban growth during the 2000's till now, major urban areas in the north have been gulping away increasing demand on an unprecedented level. The latest Danjiangkou Diversion of water has sought to calm the storm, yet it is clear that this does not resolve China's looming water shortage problem in the long term. Furthermore, the establishment of Jing-Jin-Ji in the distant future would add a critical stress to an already serious problem. In the north of China the average water per capita is around 200 cubic meters (2014), yet in Beijing consumption levels were 70% higher than the total water supply of 2012.

In the current state of affairs, the demand for water is already outstripping supply and the establishment of Jing-Jin-Ji would cripple China's water supply system, leading to a chronic water shortage. This could potentially cause devastating crop failure and problems with the ever so important coal industry water supply, thus posing a major energy security problem.

A further case study sparking interest is the housing market and what effect Jing-Jin-Ji would have on Hebei and Tianjin. Beijing's inability to afford is a key issue, forcing its work force to seek cheaper houses further and further from the CBD. This in effect places extra problems on transportation to and from these areas. Thus, the concept of CBD and sector redistribution as well as new residential zoning to Tianjin and Hebei would appear to make some sense in elevating commuter problems in Beijing. However, the likelihood is that this will cause housing prices in Hebei and Tianjin to jump considerably, potentially degrading the wealth gap.

Apart from water and housing issues, many scholars have raised their eyebrows at countless other issues with the prospect of Jing-Jin-Ji. Of these scholars a sizable number seem to remark at the project's sheer complexity and just how catastrophic a failure it could be. With other Chinese megalopolis' under the microscope and receiving a battering from academics over general mismanagement regarding 'ghost cities', it remains to be seen what a definitive plan will look like. The big taboo is whether China can shift from old urban designs and provide itself innovation to come up with super city model that it is proposing. This said, failure is absolutely not an option.

On the other hand, the staggering population of China isn't going to disappear anytime soon. So something needs to be done. Beijing and its five ring roads mark the five times that the city limits have had to be extended. To continue this trend is unsustainable and would lead to a worsening of an already strained infrastructure.

Water is life and there is no way around it. Yet this is a lurking problem on the rise that may seem as simple to most, but offers the consequential problems of greatest importance. The issue is Tianjin's great increase in water consumption, specifically over the last 10 years. Exponential urban growth in the midst of the great Chinese economic boom has meant that water supply, distribution and increasing demand have triggered alarm bells. In addition, the 13th Five Year Plan has called for and strives for further developments to skyrocket China's urbanization to a whopping 60% by 2020.

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