International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development - newsroom International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development . . . . With water increasingly scarce or polluted, its lack is causing even more problems. In the countryside, riots have broken out over water supplies, resulting in several deaths.
Desertification is another consequence of China's lagging water supplies.
Overgrazing, overpopulation and overlogging have caused China's deserts, which already cover a quarter of the country, to expand further. In northern China, sand dunes are expanding southward at a rate of 3.5 kilometers per year. With shrinking reservoirs and rivers, China's agricultural output is expected to drop, according to Newsweek. China also has tried to alleviate poverty by moving large numbers of peasants to areas with better infrastructure and more plentiful water. These resettlement projects are expensive and controversial, causing both environmental and social disruptions.