Transcript Water Pollution in China
Did you know…
San Francisco invented the “Fortune Cookie” 10 million people in China live on less than a US $1 per day.
2013 population 1.36 billion- 20% of world’s population. In Livingston County the cow to human ratio is 18:1.
Nearly 7 million Chinese people drink contaminated water.
Currently
80% of the water is located in the south.
More than 70% of the rivers and lakes are polluted.
59.6% of underground water cannot be used directly for drinking because of pollution.
55% of China’s 50,000 rivers that existed in the 1990s have disappeared.
China has more than 400 cities short of water, some 110 of which are facing severe scarcity.
Today we will…
Be discussing the major water problems in China. Such as, Pollution Transport problems- 80% of China’s water is located in the south. We hope that by the end of the presentation you will be educated on the major water problems in China.
What we have done
Over the past two weeks, we’ve done a series of tests and studies that have informed us more about water. We spent time in the lab, conducting tests on the water’s turbidity, phosphate levels, pH and nitrate levels.
Not only did we go on a white water rafting trip, but we also followed a watershed through the Geneseo campus. All this helped us gain a hands on knowledge of water and how it travels. After two weeks of intensive study we can now consider ourselves amateur hydrologist.
Over 40% of China’s water is polluted.
Toxic water pollution and textile manufacturing in China Next to rubbish by the Fenghua River is a waste water discharge pipe belonging to the Youngor Textiles Factory, in Yinzhou district, Ningbo.
Water pollution sources
Most of China's water comes from their main rivers, the Yellow River and the Yangtze River. These rivers are contaminated with industrial waste.
The city discharged about 160 million tons of waste water into the river, including 42 million tons from industrial enterprises in 2006. China still continues to fight water pollution in the Yellow River which runs through the city.
Problems in the Yangtze River It is the longest river in Asia, over 3000 miles long.
For 2 centuries, the Yangtze has served as a transportation and commercial thoroughfare, and steamers can navigate as far as Yichang, 1,600 Km from the sea.
The Yangtze river basin accounts for 40% of China's freshwater resources.
Over the last 50 years, there has been a 73% increase in pollution.
The Yellow River
Pollution, hydropower, intensive water extraction for human consumption, agriculture, and industrial use are all taking their toll on the river. The Chinese government estimates that around two-thirds of the Yellow River's water is too polluted to drink.
The Yellow River or Huang He is the third-longest river in Asia, following the Yangtze River and Yenisei River, and the sixth-longest in the world at the estimated length of 5,464 km (3,395 mi)
The Huang Pu River
60 miles long Known source for the city of Shanghai 16,000 pig carcasses floated down the river in 2013
Causes of water problems in China Factories and cities pumping waste into rivers No water in the north of China.
Most companies and factories often dump their waste into China's essential water sources. Lack of officials who know how to end the water pollution.
Because of water pollution ….
Dirty water has caused so much cancer that people living along polluted water sources are often said to live in “cancer villages.” Many people have died from the toxic waste found in the major water sources.
China’s people are forced to drink contaminated water, which results in many illnesses and diseases.
Some of China's water is so contaminated that it is even too toxic to come in contact with.
Solutions
China's government has increased funding to environmental protection.
Being that China lacks clean safe water they should find a way to make it safe by cleaning or filtering it for the people who live there.
Factories should find more ways to get rid of their waste in a clean and efficient manner.
The U.S should also help China with this problem by sending water to China’s village people who need the water the most.
Access to water in the south
Over 80% of China’s water is located in the south.
Many people who live in the north of China do not have as much access to clean water.
Yellow River
Water Sources
Yangtze River The Yellow River is the second-longest river in China at 3,395 miles long. The Yellow River drains the country's third largest basin, an area of some 290,000 square miles.
Yangtze River is the largest in China and the third largest in the world after the Nile in Africa and the Amazon in South America. Originating from the Tanggula Range in Qinghai Province in western China.
Population
With more than 1.3 billion people (1,336,718,015 as of mid-2011), China is the world's most populous country. As the world's population is approximately 6.7 billion, China represents a full 20% of the world's population so one in every five people on the planet is a resident of China.
43.2% of state-monitored rivers were classified as grade 4 or worse in 2010, meaning their water was unsuitable for human contact, according to data from China’s Ministry of Environmental Protection.
About 300 million Chinese people in rural areas rely on unsafe drinking water
Solutions
South-North Water Diversion Project, which aims to pump almost 45 billion cubic meters of water every year from the Yangtze River basin to north China.
China desperately needs more water. The dry north is the engine of the country’s economic growth. The South–North Water Transfer Project.
What we think..
We think that is a good idea for the water transfer project because it would increase the amount of safe water, which would save lives and decrease disease.
A bit of a recap
The Causes: Over- population, lack of knowledge, and industrial waste.
The problems: Pollution, lack of water in the north.
The Solutions: The water diversion project, more effort from China to fix this problem and help from the United States
Something we should all consider
China The United States
What we did in Lab
In lab we tested water that we got out of ponds, lakes or rivers.
We tested the pH (to test if the water is basic or acidic) , turbidity (clarity), coliform (to see if there were bacteria present), nitrates (to see if there is plant life) and phosphates (to search for nutrition for the plants and life forms in the water).
Our water was clean but not clean enough to drink at the moment. We had scales to tell the cleanliness of the water. The scales were colored and numbered 0-4 or 10-100.