From Nation, Page 9, December 24, 2007
Translated by Liu Peng
Original article: [Chinese]

Stricken by drought, abuse by industry, and neglect by local government, the once-majestic Xiang River in Hunan province has been reduced to a shadow of its former self. Since November, its water level has dropped to a record low.

Now, some sections of the river in Changsha, Hunan's capital, are nothing more than scattered, turbid puddles. And underneath one Changsha bridge, exposed pillars caked with silt stand awkwardly on a baked riverbed, while a muddy stream oozes lifelessly beneath.

"I've never seen so little water," says Liu Hongsheng, a retiree who has worked in shipping on the river for 40 years since he was 16.  

Once a busy shipping channel, the river is now little more than spot for leisure fisherman. Its waterline has receded so much that some stretches between Zhuzhou and Changsha measure below one meter deep. Sources from the Hunan provincial transport department told the EO: "Xiang River has basically lost its value for transportation."

As a result, the once-hectic pier at Zhuzhou has halted its operations for three months, causing over-congestion in railway and truck transportation. Zhuzhou Port Company, a state-owned enterprise that at one point comprised of over 1,000 staff, has been forced into bankruptcy and has obtained approval to wind down its business by December 31. 

Natural Calamity
The Xiang River crisis is partly caused by severe drought since the middle of this year. The River basin received its first rain in four months on December 18th, which lead to a 12cm rise in water level in the Changsha section. However, meteorologists predict that rainfall will remain scant until January. The situation will only improve in February, they say.

Statistics from Hunan Water Resource Department (WRD) reveal that since October 1st, the province has registered an average rainfall of 26mm, which the department says is 84 percent lower than the average of 164mm for the same period in previous years.

297 out of 409 observation stations reported no rainfall at all during that period. As a result, 2,450 of the 13,000 reservoirs in the province have dried up, and 3,679 tributaries have been cut off.

An official from the provincial WRD says the drought has seriously affected hydropower generation. The reduced volume in the Xiang River can only power about 260mkw instead of the full capacity at 704 mkw.

Man-Made Consequences
But drought is not the only impetus for the Xiang River crisis. Water resources management experts believe that years of environmental destruction, the government's lack of a scientific approach to conservation, low maintenance funding and negligence in upkeep are all contributing factors.

Liu Jun, Zhuzhou Port Company's production chief, told the EO that in the past,  many boats transporting sand and stone plied the waterway. He claims the smaller boats were usually overloaded, and when emergencies happened, boat operators normally dumped sand and stone into the river to shed loads. Over the years, such practices have resulted in sediment buildup.

Meanwhile, local authorities, whom collected shipping lane maintenance fees, are accused of ineffective management and failing to invest sufficiently in scheduled dredging.

Another related cause-and-effect is the construction of the Three-Gorges Dam. According to vice director of Zhuzhou Maritime Affairs Bureau Sun Weixiong, when the dam draws up water to retain a high level at the reservoir, it reduces flows in the Yangtze River's middle reaches and downstream, as well as its tributaries.

Sun explains that the reduced flows thus cause water from other areas, such as the Dongting Lake and Xiang River near the middle reaches, to naturally channel out to refill Yangtze.

In addition, many hydropower stations built in the upstream sections of the Xiang River have also led to a drop in water volume. Sun gives an example: In late 2006, with the completion of the Zhuzhou Kongzhoudao plant, water level upstream of the reservoir had increased substantially and the volume exerted greater pressure on the riverbed, thus increasing its permeability and causing some water to be diverted to underground channels.

Sun opines that the government has not invested sufficiently in developing and maintaining the channel. He points out that local governments are more interested in constructing new highways.

"By conservative estimation, the transportation capacity of Xiang River is actually equivalent to that of four or five railway lines and six expressways. Developing the watercourse has the advantages of environmental and energy conservation, and it is land-saving," he says.