Xiongan must test, and save, the waters

Xiongan New Area will be established in North China's Hebei province to help phase out the non-capital functions of Beijing. Spread across Xiongxian, Rongcheng and Anxin counties in Baoding city, the new area also covers Baiyangdian, a major wetland in northern China, making the protection of the environment and water resources a necessity.

The Baiyangdian area has been facing a severe water shortage in recent years. From 1965 to 2012, the average annual precipitation in the Baiyangdian area was 423.4 millimeters - 22 percent lower than the average between 1956 and 1964. And since 1998, almost every year has seen the wetland's water level recede dangerously close to the lowest mark, raising fears that it could dry up soon. In recent years Baiyangdian has maintained its basic ecological functions thanks to the water it receives from the Yellow River as part of the water diversion project.

According to Hebei Water Resource Bulletin, Baiyangdian stores 258 million cubic meters of water. But if the population of the new area reaches 1 million, which it may in the near future, and given the per capita average annual water consumption of 264 cubic meters, Xiongan will need to supply 264 million cubic meters of water to the residents every year.