China is trying to lead the way as the world's greenest country, and while it may manufacture the most or near the most solar panels of any other country, its green manifestation is questionable. From what I've seen here in China, it seems, for instance, there seems to be a gap between going green and conserving or protecting water. To be sure there are water-conserving methods for posterity's sake. A public service announcement produced advises television viewers, "Water is a scarce comedy," as I run to the bathroom again to stop the toilet's continual running. I'm lucky; I have a Western loo in my 43-square-meter abode. Toilets here often get stuck, forcing you to stand at the loo and wait for it to complete flushing, then to toggle the button until the water ceases. They feature a dual-flush system, though that's a practice in futility; both high and low buttons produce the same amount of water, that of the second flush. Furthermore, toilets leak, leaving a puddle of water on public and private bathroom floors. This is particularly evident in Asian loos, which are glamorized holes in the floor. But that's enough potty talk.

The Chinese have interesting means of conserving energy for water needs. For example, kitchen sinks lack hot water for healthy dishwashing, and most residences utilize rooftop solar water heaters, which provide sufficient water for one person but not nearly enough for multiple dwellers. Also a common feature of any kitchen is the water cooler. My landlord, a young, educated Chinese woman, simply states, "Everyone has one of those, because the water is not good." Even a top-of-the-line water filter, which are rarely found here, would have to be replaced entirely too often. I learned about significant regional water quality differences upon moving from Liaoning Province in northeast China to Shenzhen, in the southeast. For months my skin, scalp and certain unmentionable places itched achingly. I soon discovered it wasn't just a bad reaction on my part; many other foreigners had experienced the same thing. The remedy is partially found in changing cleansing products until one works, and the rest is merely acclimating to the poor water quality.

Western firms doing development projects here and throughout Asia can't do much about the problem, as regional and federal governments handle water issues. What they are doing is implementing sustainable practices such as harvesting rain water or utilizing wetlands, which I'll elaborate on later. It would be well worth a concerted effort on the part of green building and development experts to offer their services to improve water quality and quantity.

Consider the facts: According to the book 10,000 Shovels: China's Urbanization and Economic Development, China currently uses 13 percent of the world's freshwater. How much will that rise as its socio-economic growth continues? Some 70 percent of China’s rivers and lakes contain contaminates, as does the groundwater of half of its cities. Water shortages can be found in over half the country. What most Westerners don't consider when thinking about China is that it's full of diverse topographies: There are subtropical zones, mountainous regions, deserts, bitter cold regions, and of course multiple cities with populations of 15 million. Fatal mudslides, floods, droughts, and typhoons make the nightly news almost regularly. The divergent socio-economic conditions almost manifest water quantity inequality throughout the country, and quality is a topic the government seemingly gives only face to at this juncture. Let's first consider China's rivers and waterways when considering the country's water issues

Yangtze
The Yangtze River is a major source of water problems. The third largest river in the world, it's almost 4,000 miles long. Its flooding has claimed some one million lives over the last century, according to a CNN report, and caused billions of US dollars in damage. To prevent floods and facilitate cargo ship passage deep into the country's interior, the Chinese built the Three Gorges Dam. It's one and a half miles wide and more than 600 feet high with a reservoir hundreds of feet deep and some 400 miles long. On a green note, its hydropower turbines are expected to yield as much energy as 18 nuclear power plants. This sizable contribution to China's infrastructure isn't the gleaming light of inspiration it was supposed to be. In fact it's been a global source of controversy because of relocation of hundreds of thousands of people and the reality that the project is just too big. Many experts and some Chinese journalists argue that the project should have been divided into a series of smaller undertakings. Knowledge of adequate construction practices to build such a dam isn't here. And many reports indicate that the government has eschewed concerns about subsequent dangers, choosing to wait until "later" to deal with them, as is common in Chinese development.

It's eerie to think of meddling with nature at this scale, much like a reminder of New Orleans' damage from Hurricane Katrina and the failed levees because of faulty Army Corp of Engineers work. Yet reports give conflicting information, often blurring the country's claimed attempts to grant more transparency. Water quality reports are inconsistently measured. Some take into account agricultural waste, others industrial waste, and still others include neither. Figures from a 2007 report indicate that China's water pollution rates are sky-high, yet the government doesn't plan to do another pollution census for 10 more years. According to a New York Times and Washington Post reports, discrepant methods used to capture information on water and environmental pollution, chiefly being the inclusion of agricultural runoff, showed an exponential difference in 2007 numbers. A government report published in 2007 showed water pollution levels, measured by chemical oxygen demand, showed the COD had fallen a few percentage points to 13.8 million tonnes in 2007, though this year's pollution report showed 30.3 million tones.

All is not bad in China or Asia, though. Western urban and architectural design firms are doing some fascinating work in sustainability.

Shenzhen, China
In Southeast China's burgeoning city of Shenzhen, Balmori Associates, a New York-based urban planning and landscape design firm, and WORKac, a New York-based urban design firm, are collaborating on sustainable water practices for an urban redevelopment project. They're redesigning a one-kilometer section of the world's largest telecommunications market, an overly bustling cityscape, to expedite access to subways, buses, automotive, and pedestrian traffic through a series of bridges called "lanterns." The lanterns are symmetrically and irregularly shaped pedestrian crossways that will be well-landscaped and house public gardens. They will also contain public amenities such as cinemas, museums, restaurants, shopping, and restrooms. Plentiful rains from the subtropical climate will be harvested and recycled for use in the lanterns, public gardens, and landscaping. The project will also include fountains, an integral part of almost any Chinese development.

Sejong, Korea
Another intriguing project is the forthcoming zero-waste city of Sejong in Korea. The project's design considers water in a whole new light. The master planned administrative town will relocate many key administrative agencies and ministries from their centralized location in Seoul to South Chungcheong Province. Renderings illustrate a philosophy that landscape design and urban planning are intrinsically linked and should be designed in tandem, yielding a less sterile, more natural setting. Balmori will design the first phase of 160 acres to be completed by 2011. Surrounded by mountains and fed by a major river and smaller tributaries, the city will gain some of its energy through its natural surroundings. The site's wetlands, for instance, will be expanded to serve as a reservoir that will be used to clean water for reuses in numerous ways. The wetlands also act as a natural, aesthetically appealing buffer between municipal buildings and the reservoir, creating "a continuous landscape and public scape that yield a more dynamic public relationship," says Mark Thomann, director of Balmori, who designed the project with partner Diana Balmori.

Rainwater and drainage water will be recycled through buildings, irrigate rice fields, and nourish rooftop gardens and the rest of the city's ample landscaping. Other water will serve potable purposes.

In conclusion one might see China's water problems as something akin to Chinatown. Water is taken from the have-nots in villages and small towns to the haves in major cities. Those haves, the burgeoning middle class, want more swimming pools. They buy washing machines, clean more dishes, and flush non-dual-flush toilets. Western firms are doing what they can to mitigate water use in residential and commercial developments over China and throughout Asia, but they would do well to bring their influence upon this developing country's infrastructural and plumbing needs. Cleaner waterways and standardized pollution research are on the way. Meanwhile, the water quality and quantity problems will continue to plague citizens.

Nichole L. Reber captures the structure of space through writing and attempts to shape it as an architectural consultant. She lives in Shenzhen, China, which challenges her to reverse whatever logic she's learned in her American life, so she can be found belting out Bollywood songs at karaoke. Follow her blog at thecityshaped.blogspot.com, on Twitter at NicholeLReber, or at LinkedIn .