From Reuters:
China suffers a water shortage of nearly 40 billion cubic metres a year which Water Resources Minister Chen Lei blamed largely on global warming, state media reported on Monday.
“The changes have led to a combination of both frequent drought and flooding,” the China Daily newspaper quoted Chen as saying.
Although global warming has contributed to falling water tables in China, rising consumption both by farmers and booming cities, as well as severe pollution, have compounded shortages. [Full Text]