Drought-Prone Beijing Must Cap Population Growth

Another take on my previous "Chinese Technology" post - this time Beijing needs to curb its population growth or face a shortage of water.

http://www.enn.com/today.html?id=11254&ref=rss

The city's population had grown from 13.7 million to 15.4 million in the past five years, but should be capped at 16 million in 2010 and 20 million in 2020, the Beijing News said, citing a Beijing Municipal Development and Reform Commission report.

Annual population growth would have to be kept to 200,000 to guarantee adequate drinking water, the daily reported. Drought in 44 percent of the municipality had further strained water supplies to the city proper, the China Daily reported, despite above-average summer rainfall this year.

"The parched capital had largely escaped the worst drought in 50 years that hit some areas," the paper quoted Tang Guang, a meteorological bureau official, as saying.