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Thirsty Land

Jun 16 2008

Back to: China's Big Drain

Olympic arena under construction
Grand Hyatt in Beijing
Water truck
Xidayang Reservoir
Peasant carrying water
Daughter caring for elderly mother
Canal in Hebei Province
Husband and wife
Yan
Hand holding ice
Guanting Reservoir
Beijing roadside
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"Bird's Nest"
The plaza fronting Beijing's "bird's nest" Olympic arena will feature one of the world's longest and tallest water sculptures. About 80 billion gallons of water will be diverted from a neighboring province for the Games.
Lush Life
A worker cleans up with recycled water near the Grand Hyatt in parched Beijing.
Water Sport
A water truck worker sprays some newly planted Chun trees alongside Olympic Park in Beijing.
Bound for Beijing
The Xidayang Reservoir, located southwest of Beijing, is about 2,746 square miles and is at 30 percent capacity. The water in the foreground is being funneled from the reservoir into pipes bound for Beijing.
Balancing Act
Peasants carry water from a spring. Because Beijing needs their water, villagers in Shijiayao don't bathe.
Mother and Daughter
Village matriarch Li Feng Xian, 91, wants Shijiayao's story to be told—and that its inhabitants be brought water. Here, she is tended to by her daughter.
Parched Times
This canal in Hebei Province, near Xidayang Reservoir, offers evidence of the prolonged drought and water diversions. Originally dug to carry off water after heavy rains, it now serves as a garbage dump.
Working the Land
A man and his wife, who have worked these fields for 70 years, plant tobacco.
Hiking for Water
Yan, who goes by just one name, says there is not enough water in Shijiayao to take baths. And in the summer most years, villagers have no easy access to water, so they have to walk about six miles and carry the water back by donkey to their villages.
Ice
A government water researcher holds some ice he found at the bottom of a cliff not far from a crumbling section of China's Great Wall.
Spoiled
Located about a two-hour drive from Beijing, the water in the Guanting Reservoir is too polluted by industrial and human waste to drink. Its water is, however, used to help ease shortages at scenic spots and industries in the capital city.
Road's End
A rough mountain road becomes pavement when leaving Hebei Province and entering Beijing.

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