Water shortages in the capital city of east China's Zhejiang Province are being predicted during the coming weeks.

 

Water chiefs in Hangzhou said supplies could also be threatened by an expected salt tide later in the summer.

 

The city's water supplies will be at full stretch because of the expected hot weather over the next few days, with peak daily water consumption set to reach 1.4 million tons, according to a statement released by Hangzhou Water Group, which manages the city's fresh water supply.

 

At present, the city's water supply capability stands at 1.4 million tons per day.

 

Water demands are expected to be even higher in the next few weeks, said the statement.

 

The average daily water demand reached 1.13 million tons in May, a 1.36 percent increase from the same time last year.

 

July, August and September are historically the months when more water is consumed than at other times of the year.

 

"The construction of water supply projects has lagged behind the fast urbanization, resulting in regional water shortages," said He Xiangzhi, a hydrological expert from Hangzhou Water Group.

 

A salt tide could also occur in Qiantang River, the source of the city's tap water, later in the summer, according to the statement by the company.

 

Its severity would be dependant on temperature, rainfall, the water level of the river, and water storage at reservoirs in its upper reaches.

 

The water group has already implemented measures to try to ensure demand can be met over the rest of the summer.

 

A water supply project, which was put into emergency operation in May, can provide an additional 50,000 cubic meters of water to the Xiasha District daily.

 

Meanwhile, agreements have been made with power factories to ensure adequate supplies during the expected period of the salt tide.

 

Hangzhou had per capita water resources of 1,343 cubic meters in 2005, lower than that of the national average, according to a recent survey.

 

(China Daily June 14, 2006)