A:The water shortage and the importance of water use is a big concern in China.
B:Do you mean that China is a water deficient country? Is that due to water pollution?
A:Partly,but there are many reasons for the water problem in China.One reason is that water is wasted due to a low utilization rate.
B:Is this a problem here in Beijing?
A:Yes,and it is especially problematic in China's northern region as water resources in China are unevenly distributed.There are currently plans to pump water from the Yangtze River to the Yellow River in north China.
B:I haven't heard of this.
A:It's called the South-to-North Water Transfer Project. It will only take 5%of the Yangtze's water,but a lot of environmental activists are still afraid that it will upset the ecological balance of the Yangtze River.
B:That sounds similar to the Three Gorges Project.
A:水资源匮乏和水资源利用在中国是个大问题。
B:你的意思是说中国是个缺水国家?那是由水污染引起的吗?
A:部分是。但造成中国水资源问题的原因有很多,其中之一就是水资源利用率太低,造成浪费。
B:北京也有这个问题吗?
A:有。中国的水资源分布不平衡,北方地区的问题尤为严重。现在正在计划把长江水引到黄河里来。
B:这我倒还没听说。
A:这项工程叫做“南水北调”。虽然只会调用长江总水量的5%,但很多环保人士仍然担心这一工程会破坏长江流域的生态平衡。
B:听起来跟三峡工程很像。