China to Build Reservoirs To Capture Runoff from Melting Glaciers

China is planning to construct 59 reservoirs in the country’s far-western province of Xinjiang to trap runoff from rapidly melting glaciers in some of Asia’s highest mountains. Chinese officials said their goal is to retain runoff that might otherwise trickle into the region’s high deserts and to store water for year-round use. Glaciers in the Tian, Kunlun, and Altai mountains are steadily melting, with 80 percent of the glaciers in some ranges in retreat. In the near future increased runoff from melting glaciers is expected to boost water supplies to the region, but water experts say that within 40 years the shrinking glaciers could create water shortages. China’s water worries are exacerbated by rapidly increasing demand for water for agriculture and growing populations; the once-vast Aibi Lake in Xianjiang has lost two-thirds of its volume in the last 50 years, according to recent reports.