The Negative Impact of Human Activities on Water Quality in Beijing, China: Population Growth, Urbanization and Development

Abstract

A. Current Problem: China is struggling with water pollution and scarcity issues due to rapid population growth, urbanization and development. B. Population/Area of Focus: Beijing, China. C. Key Terms: water, population, development Water is an important component for survival. Many areas of this planet don't have clean water or enough water to drink. The capital city Beijing, which is located in the northern part of China, is known for its water scarcity issues. Chinese society has been steadily afflicted by the same hardship: too much water in southern China and never enough water in northern China. Beijing has become heavily populated. "During the period 1990 to 2018, Beijing's population grew from 10.86 million to over 21.54 million" (Yu et al. 3). The overwhelming rapidity of its urbanization and development process has put more strain on the area's already limited water. The farmland in the suburbs of Beijing has been replaced with urban development due to its growing population. The result of that is devastating to the environment. The water bodies in and around Beijing are depleting due to the growing population and rising demands on the water. The contaminants from urbanization, such as the increased amount of sewage combined with the agricultural and industrial waste is polluting China's water resources. Carr and Neary's 2008 study found that one of the main actions that leads to extensive water-quality complications is the discarding of human waste. China, India and Iran do not treat human waste before its disposal. The contaminated feces end up as raw sewage in the waterways. The amount of pollution that this action causes is tremendously harmful to the environment and to the water especially (qtd. in Palanappian et al. 52). According to Meena Palanappian et al., the incomplete or ineffective treatment of human waste occurs even in advanced countries as one of the main causes of water pollution (52). As a result of this situation, the tap water is not clean, and water is being constantly reused and re-contaminated. All of this heavily polluted surface water ends up leaking into the groundwater. The groundwater resources are being drained. The quality of the groundwater is declining, due to toxins, sewage, agricultural and industrial waste. China in general, and Beijing in particular, are facing huge difficulties that are escalating fast.