‘Huge concern’ for ‘Asia water tower’ as China bottles water from Tibet’s spring/ENG

2016. december 28./Phayul.com/TibetPress

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By Tenzin Tsetan

DHARMSHALA, Dec. 28: China is pushing on plans to bottle up water from Tibet’s glacier and mountain springs to ship to China and across the world in its ‘industrial water rush.’

In Nyinchi prefecture in eastern Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR), Tibet Linzhi Deji Real Co. Ltd., a Chinese company, is bottling water from Benri Mountain spring to import to mainland China as part of massive investment by Chinese investors and entrepreneurs to commercialize Tibet’s clean water.

Chinese govt. is encouraging such investments using subsidized tax and other forms since the announcement last year of a 10-year plan to expand the bottled water industry in TAR with production of five million tonnes of bottle water by 2020 and double that by 2025.

Sun Liangfeng, general manager of Tibet Linnzhi Deji said, “The market is developing faster than expected” because large number of people including massive state owned enterprises and powerful private corporations wants to invest here in the region.

Known as ‘Asia’s water tower’, Tibet’s rivers and lakes flow into many surrounding down stream countries as a lifeline to a billion and more people in Asia. Tibetan plateau also sources the largest reserve of fresh water outside of the Polar Regions. q'

Many environmental organization groups have warned that tapping of water from Tibetan glaciers and springs poses huge risk of exploitations of the fragile environment of Tibet.

According to China water risk, a non-profit advocacy group, “The Tibetan plateau is both ecologically sensitive and in the midst of change. Local glaciers have shrunk 15 percent in the last three decades.”

The Tibet Linzhi Deji Real Co. Ltd. has approval to take 30 percent of the water from the Benri mountain spring, which Brian said is “enough to do environmental damage” and “of course the risks go up as altercations of the natural flow conditions increases.”

Chinese leaders are eyeing towards Tibetan plateau to supply water to the mainland since
China faces serious problem of water shortages and safe drinking water due to many of its rivers and lakes polluted by disposition of industrial waste.

In the last two decades China has become world largest bottle water consumer and major producer as well.