More water resources found in Beijing
( 2001-05-24 11:43 ) (8 )

New underground water resources were found in northeastern Beijing, which may quench the city's thirst, according to the Beijing Hydrologic Survey Group.

The survey group sank a well in Zhongqiao Village, Pinggu County last month and found plenty of high quality underground water, Thursday's China Daily reported.

The newly found water resources are expected to be able to provide the city's urban areas with more than 100 million cubic meters of water per year.

The survey group plans to drill 20 wells in the county to help establish a new groundwater base for urban areas of Beijing. The plan will be submitted to the local government for approval.

After years of investigation, the survey group has drawn a map of water resources in Beijing and have discovered that abundant groundwater resources are held in store in certain suburban areas including Pinggu County and Fangshan District in southwestern Beijing.

Beijing relies heavily on underground water supply, which accounts for 80 percent of the city's total water supply each year. The city consumes four billion cubic meters of water annually, facing high pressure of water shortages.

The concept of saving water has been introduced in the city along with the wide use of water-saving taps and the implementation of a waste water discharge fee.