新浪微博
腾讯微博
微信
QQ空间
QQ好友
手机阅读分享话题

China

Water level of China's famous Baotu Spring continues to decline

2019-06-25 09:31:54

JINAN, June 24 (Xinhua) -- The water level of Baotu Spring, a famous scenic spot in Jinan, capital of eastern China's Shandong Province, has continued to fall below the warning mark for a week, reaching 27.52 meters on Monday.

Baotu Spring is reputed as the finest among the 72 famous springs in Jinan, also known as China's "City of Springs," for its spectacle of three springs gushing into the sky.

However, due to Jinan's growing demand for water for summer planting and urban residents during the hot and dry weather, Baotu Spring now faces a water crisis, local authorities said.

Rainfall has brought the most direct impact. The accumulated precipitation of the city this year has dropped by almost two-thirds to 74.9 mm on average, compared with 215.9 mm in the same period in 2018.

Black Tiger Spring, another famous spring in Jinan, is also close to cut-off. Currently, the water points and the supplies of direct drinking water in the spring's scenic area have been suspended.

On June 15, the water level of Baotu Spring dropped below the warning mark of 27.6 meters for the first time this year. It picked up briefly to 27.6 meters later, and fell to 27.58 meters again on June 18, 12 cm lower than the same period in 2018.

Currently, the spring's water level falls at a rate of 1 to 2 cm per day, according to local authorities.

To protect the springs, the city has been taking a series of action to improve natural water supplies and ecological restoration, said the city's bureau of water affairs.

Real-time red alerts will be issued every time the groundwater level of Baotu Spring drops below the warning mark, which then triggers a top-level emergency plan. Measures taken by various departments are required to replace water sources and limit water use.

Baotu Spring began to see seasonal hiccups in the early 1970s and once dried up for a 926-day period. It has been gushing for more than 15 years since September 2003 when it started to spout again after 548 days of being shutoff.

Editor:Jiang Yiwei