This Day, That Year

Item from July 17, 1987, in China Daily: Beijing is facing a serious water shortage and needs an additional 1 billion cubic meters of water every year. By 1990, the capital will lack 270 million cu m of water for domestic use and 670 million cu m for industrial use.

Thanks to various diversion and conservation programs, Beijing's water resources have risen from 100 cu m per capita in 2010 to 150 cu m last year.

The South-North Water Diversion Project, one of the world's biggest, involves drawing water from southern rivers and supplying it to the north. Water sourced from the project is pumped to 11 million people in the capital, accounting for 73 percent of the city's daily supply.