Greenpeace Accuses Chinese Coal Company of Draining Water Resources

Published on July 26, 2013 04:10 by Water Network Research, Official research team of The Water Network in Social

International environmental group Greenpeace is accusing China's largest state-run coal company of massively exploiting water resources in the country's arid Inner Mongolia region. In a newly releasedinvestigative report, the group says wells have dried up, lakes have shrunk and desert dunes are expanding near the company's plant.

According to Greenpeace, since state-owned Shenhua Group began extracting water for its plant to process coal into liquid fuels, groundwater levels have dropped by nearly 100 meters.

One lake where the plant extracts its water has also shrunk by two-thirds since operations began in 2006. The group says the plant is not only drying up water resources, but illegally dumping toxic industrial wastewater as well.

Local farmers and herders are finding it difficult to maintain their livelihoods, sparking social unrest. But the company is in the midst of plans to massively expand the project.

Li Yan, the head of the environmental group's climate and energy campaign in China, said Shenhua needs to put an end to the destruction.

Media

Taxonomy

Climate Change