THE CITY OF SHANGHAI IS SINKING!

Vocabulary

1. Immense –(adj)- unusually great in size or amount or degree or especially extent or scope
ex. You did an immense job getting the project started.

2. Submerged -(adj)- under the surface of water; underwater
ex. The windows on the car were submerged in water and the victims trapped inside

3. Guzzles –(v)- to consume (food or drink) excessively or greedily
ex. They spent the whole night guzzling beer.

4. Aquifers –(n)- An underground layer of permeable rock, sediment (usually sand or gravel), or soil that yields water; underground bed or layer yielding ground water for wells and springs etc.
ex. Sandstones, unconsolidated gravels, and porous limestones make the best aquifers.

5. Droughts –(n)- A long period of abnormally low rainfall, especially one that adversely affects growing or living conditions.
ex. farmers most affected by the drought hope that there may yet be sufficient rain early in the growing season

It may sound like a science fiction problem of the future, but the reality is that China has an immense problem on its hands as 46 cities are currently headed toward being slowly submerged in water.

Why would this happen? Sinking cities are common in China because it has such a dry climate. Because it is so dry there, the government guzzles water from underground aquifers to supply the rapidly growing economy and population.

In fact, Beijing has sunk 14 inches over the past decade! The government is aware of the problem and warns its citizens to be cautious when consuming water because of their limited supply, yet because of recent droughts the problem has only increased.

Shanghai has switched to river water for most things now because the sinking was such a problem and currently descends at only two-fifths of an inch each year. However, the problem still remains throughout China, how they are going to continue with an underwater country.

Source: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=371702262884731&set=a.289245514463740.77512.289243791130579&type=1&theater

Questions

1. What is the reason why China is sinking?
2. What can the people do to conserve water?
3. Do you think the rivers could sustain the growing economy and population of China?
4. What do you think are the measures being done by the Chinese government to slow down or to eliminate the problem?