Taipei-- Due to the drought in northern China, Beijing and Hebei Province are battling over the water rights of the Juma River that flows through both areas. Mediating the problem is proving to be a difficult task for the government.

The Juma River flows through Fangshan district of Beijing City and Laishuei County of Hebei Province. According to New Beijing News, Beijing government officials are starting a construction project to redirect the flow of the Juma River into the Yanshan Petrochemical Company to the process water.

However, a water conservation expert warned that the beds of the Juma River cannot store enough underground water, and once the construction is finished, the underground water will not recharge, thus jeopardizing the lives of three million people in nine counties in Hebei Province.

Catching the attention of leading government officials in Hebei, several house representatives from Laishuei County submitted a joint letter to the National People's Congress to request that the construction be stopped. The Chairman of the National People's Congress, Wu Bangguo, urged the Ministry of Water Conservation to properly mediate the issue, prompting the Ministry of Water Conservation, Wu Shuchen, to ask both sides for a solution.

The Water Conservation Committee suspended construction until the problem can be resolved.

Hebei Province officials suggested that Hebei could sell Beijing a certain amount of water every year from the upper stream of the Juma River. However, a Beijing Water Conservancy Bureau official said, “Since the Juma River passes through Beijing, shouldn’t Beijing have some rights to the water?"

Approximately 80 percent of Beijing’s daily water supply comes from Hebei Province, which plays a vital role in supplying water to Beijing. Constructing Miyun Reservoir and the Guanting Reservoir together, Hebei and Beijing shared water rights. However, due to severe drought conditions in the 80’s, Hebei stopped sharing its 900 million cubic meters of water; hence the 20-year quarrel began.

According to the data from the Water Conservancy Department of China, Hebei Province is one of several areas experiencing a water shortage in China with the Juma River seriously low. Since 1997, a continuous seven-year drought has considerably weakened Hebei water resources.

Currently, Hebei is experiencing a six billion cubic meter water shortage and is relying on underground water as a supplement. In Beijing the average water usage per person is one-third of the accepted international standard to maintain a healthy life.

To solve the water shortage problem in Beijing, the government is considering redirecting the southern Long River to the north, which would create four large water reservoirs in Hebei Province that could supply water to Beijing. A partial completion date is projected for 2006, and by the end of 2010 the entire project is scheduled to be complete with the hopes of solving the water shortage in Beijing.