Beijing's water resources meets only 40% of demand

Beijing's water resources can supply only 40 percent of the city's population, according to a blue book by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

Data on the city's water resources is included in a blue book from the Capital University of Economics and Business. It is the first research project focusing on regional capacity.

According to the blue book, per capita demand for water resources in Beijing is 345 cu m, yet water resources can only supply 6.67 million people, or 40 percent of the population.

The average water quantity in Beijing is 2.3 billion cu m, while demand is about 3.5 billion cu m.

The water shortage of 1.2 billion cu m is mainly based on the excessive exploitation of underground water and from other provinces, the blue book said.