Cities must coordinate to protect their water

Diversion project helps to address Beijing's shortfall

Excessive exploitation of groundwater in downtown Beijing and the reduced volume for storage have aggravated the instability of the water ecosystem, according to a regional development report released on Thursday.

"Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei need to coordinate to protect the source of drinking water," said the 2015 Annual Report on Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Metropolitan Region Development.