Concerned teenager offers alternative plan

A 16-year-old high school student has proposed that the perfect charge for water in Beijing should be 50 yuan per cu m, up from the current rate of 3.7 yuan per cu m.

But there is research behind Yuan Rishe's ambitious plan, and she doubts the government's planned 0.9 yuan per cu m increase will be enough.

Her study shows that in Beijing, a 5 yuan per cu m water price can only drive 5 percent of citizens to save water. However, when the price reaches 50 yuan per cu m, 95 percent of people will pay attention to how they use water.