"Water" is now the catchword in China's arid capital city as weathermen watch each passing cloud with excitement and try all means including shooting up dry ice to make it rain.

Beijing residents also pay a great deal of attention to an ongoing evidentiary hearing held by the municipal government on how much the water price should be hiked.

"There are many sound reasons for people in Beijing to worry about water supply," said Liu Zhiqi, secretary general of the Beijing Water Association, noting that the water level of Miyun Reservoir, Beijing's lifeline, is dangerously low.

"The two rivers entering the reservoir injected this year just 18 percent of the water they did in years of abundance, and the water level of the reservoir is 20 meters lower because of drought for successive five years in northern China," he said. Overuse of ground water has led to an annual decline of 1.29 meters in groundwater levels.

Experts warned that the capital city's worsening water thirst will not be quenched until 2010, when the massive South-North Water Diversion Project is completed and brings water from the Yangtze River 1,246 kilometers away.

"However, as the Beijing Olympics in 2008 is approaching and water consumption rises each year amid rapid economic and demographic expansion of the cosmopolitan city, something must be done today," said Bi Xiaogang, deputy director of the newly-installed Beijing Water Affairs Bureau, when explaining the government's plan to raise water prices.

According to the proposed scheme, the price for tap water will be lifted by 28 percent, or 0.8 yuan (nearly 10 US cents) from today's 2.9 yuan per ton to 3.7 yuan this year. Of the increment, 0.5 yuan will be invested in the water diversion project, and 0.3 yuan used in waste water disposal.

Beijing has planned a total investment of 21.2 billion yuan in developing the water saving industry, exploring emergency water resources and recycling waste water in the first several decades of this century. Of the total, 6.9 billion yuan for harnessing theupper reaches of its water sources outside the city will be financed by the central government coffer, together with 1 billionyuan of financial subsidy, and the rest shall be raised by the municipal government.

The only thing the city government has to do is to raise water prices, and officials already have plans for price hikes in mind.

According to government sources, the average water price will reach 6 yuan (about 72 US cents) per ton in 2005.

The municipal government will adopt a differentiated charging system on water consumption, which means those who consume more water than average should pay more, and those who use water withina certain quota can pay at a lower price, as a way to ease the financial burden of poor citizens.

Commercial businesses of spa, sauna and massage centers are expected to pay as high as 100 yuan per ton instead of the existing 10 yuan, 60 yuan or 80 yuan per ton.

Government officials claimed that by paying more, people will become more aware of the value of water. Statistics show that China's per capita possession of fresh water resources stands at a mere 2,200 cubic meters, nearly one quarter of the world average. However, in 2002, water consumption for every 10,000 yuan (1,200 US dollars) of GDP realized in China reached 540 cubic meters, four times the world average level.

Water resource experts said that in 40 percent of Chinese metropolises, at least 12 percent of the water supply is lost due to pipeline leakage and unthrifty use.

Local residents and industries have mixed reactions toward the proposed pricing schemes.

"Water is so precious that money can't buy it," said Liu Shuyun,a resident attending the price hearing. The price hike is not enough and more efforts should be made toprevent excessive waste by gardens, parks and public administration departments, he added.

Fan Chunxi, an executive with the Beijing Seine Recreation Club,said that many businesses engaged in spa, sauna and massage which rely solely on water will face closure if such a price hike is endorsed.

"The water price should be rational for such businesses to exist," he said.

However, Chen Haiyi, manager of the Beijing Hairunda Auto Service Company, said though his car wash business will be heavilyaffected, he will opt to use recycled water which costs just 5 yuan per ton, while tap water for car wash is expected to cost 60 yuan for car wash companies.

To quench the thirst of Beijing, the city has just finished three major projects in Huairou, Zhangfang and Pinggu, which cost 1.14 billion yuan and adds an additional annual water supply up to330 million cubic meters.

To the delight of Beijing residents, they have witnessed more artificial rainfalls than ever before since last year.

Meteorologists say that such a method is more cost effective. From July through September last year, two airplanes, 21 rocket launchers and 30 antiaircraft artillery were deplored to dump 23.77 million cubic meters of water down to the Miyun Reservoir at a cost of 0.15 yuan per cubic meter.

Have no doubt, every time you see clouds in the sky, Beijing's weathermen are on high alert.