Millions Of Chinese Facing Water Shortages As Yellow River Hits Fifty Year Low

BAOTOU, INNER MONGOLIA - JUNE 17: A young boy looks out over the low water line of the Yellow River on June 17, 2003 near Baotou, Inner Mongolia, China. Environmental officials have warned that millions of people in northern China face water shortages this summer as the Yellow River falls to its lowest level in 50 years. Booming industry and a population of 1.3 billion people have outstripped China's rudimentary water and sewage systems and left its cities choked with smog. The government has forecast an annual water shortfall of 53 trillion gallons by 2030, more than China now consumes in a year. In the north, drought and overuse have left the Yellow River so drained that in recent summer low seasons it has dried up before reaching the sea. This spring, oil spills and water shortages on the Yellow River forced the government to suspend work on a project to divert some of its water further northward. (Photo by Natalie Behring-Chisholm/Getty Images)