China: Sobbing without tears · Global Voices
On 15th December, a post named “the investigation of drought in Northwestern, Lanzhou region” appeared in Skyline (Tianya.cn, 天涯). The writer <PERSON>) recorded his five-day research in Lanzhou district, Gansu province, part of the Yellow River drainage area. Over 40 pictures and his sincere appeal for people’s concern put the post under focus.
The Yellow River area, especially the “central plain”(中原) has long been honored as the cradle of Chinese. However, Gansu province, which used to be a grassy, lush land, also a part of midland, has been gradually drained over history due to the climatic change and overgraze. Today, the land ,especially the mountainous region is tightly associated with drought.
The writer told:
这里年平均降雨量只有300毫米左右，而蒸发量却高达1500-2000毫米以上。严重缺水，导致当地农民生活贫困，教育落后，妇女儿童的生存健康状况亟待改善。笔者了解到，即使有的村落仅有的一点水源，也是高氟水，水的含氟量达到7.8毫克／升，而国家规定安全饮用水的最高界限是1.0毫克／升。因长期饮用高氟水，村民普遍的特点是大骨节病和黄斑牙。一般男子到50多岁就丧失劳动能力，妇女有的二十五六岁生育完就弯腰驼背、脊椎变形，丧失劳动能力，甚至生活不能自理。
The average rainfall here is only 300mm/year. But the evaporation is over 1500 to 2000mm. 368
The lack of water brings farmers poor life and underdeveloped education. The living condition of women and children urgently requires an improvement. I got to know that the only water source in some villages contain all but High-Fluoride water (over 7.8mg /L). But the limit should be 1 mg/L. Long drinking High-Fluoride water, the villagers there typically have Kashin-Beck disease and mottled enamel. Men might lose working ability at age of 50 and women might hunch and have distorted backbone soon after procreation, with their working ability lost. Some people even felt hard to take care of themselves.
Though they are not out of methods on fighting the drought, the villagers often can’t really build the wells needed due to the lack of fund. 121