The rising number of ski resorts in Beijing is being held partly
responsible for the city's shortage of water and some destruction
of land, according to Xinhua News Agency on July 17.
"All ski resorts in Beijing consume groundwater -- an important
source of the city's tap water -- to make artificial snow," said
Wang Fude, deputy director of Beijing International Studies
University's Academy of Tourism Development.
All 13 ski resorts in the capital have dug their own wells more
than 100 meters deep and pump up 3.8 million cubic meters of water
each year, according to research by Wang.
"That means they consume the annual water consumption of 42,000
local residents. The development of ski resorts in Beijing lacks
both scientific evaluation and guidance from governments at all
levels, and more suburban resorts are still being planned," Wang
said.
The thirsty city, where per capita water resources are less than
300 cubic meters -- 4 percent of the world average and 15 percent
the national average -- has suffered from drought for six
consecutive years.
"Water is so precious in Beijing," Wang said. "Beijingers can
afford to live without skiing but they cannot live without
water."
The first indoor ski resort in the city will open to the public
next week, equipped with two ski runs and covered with half a meter
of snow.
Qiaobo Ski Resort, named after Ye Qiaobo, who won China's first
silver medal in the Winter Olympics at the Albertville Games 10
years ago, has cost over 600 million yuan (US$72 million).
"Unlike outdoor skiing grounds, where snow melts under the sun,
snow on indoor ski runs is kept for longer at lower temperatures,"
said a spokesperson from the resort's marketing department
yesterday.
Wang also said that building ski resorts can damage the
environment as they are often built in mountain areas where
vegetation is sparse.
"Once the vegetation is destroyed, it is hard to recover," he
said, calling for a halt to construction and a shutdown of some of
the existing pistes.
But building ski resorts in remote mountain areas of barren land
could actually improve land efficiency and its value, according to
Yi Xianrong, a senior researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social
Sciences.
Wen Jun, spokesperson for the Beijing Municipal Commission of
Development and Reform, said ski resorts have not been on their
agenda up to now and will be discussed at a later date.
(China Daily July 19, 2005)