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Beijing's Snowboarding & Skiing Bane

FRIDAY, 23 JUNE 2006

The booming indoor skiing and snowboarding facility in Beijing, China may eventually take its toll on the capital city's water supply. This is according to Geoffrey York's report at Toronto's The Globe and Mail.

According to York, Beijing is already suffering from its worst drought in half a century. It may be aggravated further if the resorts continue with their current consumption of ground water. York referred to a study conducted that put an estimate of 3.8 million cubic meters of water are pumped annually by the resorts. The study also said that that such amount of water is enough for the annual water needs of some 42,000 city residents.

The Chinese government has already tried to intervene by putting a hefty fine of as much as $1,500 when one is caught wasting water. If nothing is done as soon as possible, there will be a shortage of as much as 1.1 billion cubic meters of water by the time of the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, York said in his report.

To read York's detailed report, please visit The Globe and Mail's website at www.theglobeandmail.com.

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