Proposal to transform Beijing into a Seaport

Lack of water is one of Beijing’s major problems -the city has to import 90% of its annual consumption.  As a solution to this pressing issue, the Beijing Academy of Social Sciences has suggested building a 160 km canal to link the capital to the sea, with a desalination plant for water entering the city. The canal would be large enough to accommodate freighters and make Beijing a seaport.

However, the project is considered by some experts as unrealistic since it defies the law of physics. Certainly less extravagant solutions would be to renovate the piping system, to recycle used water, and, above all, to raise the population’s awareness of water saving issues.