China’s textile producers suffering drought

Water is essential to the textile business, and in China’s Shandong province, where one-sixth of the country’s manufacturers are located, the worst drought in 60 years is taking a toll. As water demand increases, the Chinese are being forced to confront lack of water management and regulation. “Not only excessive extraction of groundwater, but also water pollution caused by intensive utilization and insufficient discharge management in urban and industrialized areas contribute to reducing the available resources,” says a report by the Integrated Water Resource Management section of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research. The report estimated a shortfall of 1.5 trillion gallons in 2010.