Changing water use concept and innovating development pattern

andrewwangzhen

Tomorrow we shall welcome the 14th “World Water Day” and the starting date of 19th “China Water Week”. The guiding theme of “World water Day” decided by the U.N. for this year is “Water and Culture”. In China, the propaganda theme for commemorating 2006 “World Water Day” and 2006 “China Water Week” is “changing water use concept and innovating development pattern”, which aims at fully implementing a scientific outlook on development, promoting economic restructuring and changing the pattern of growth, building a “resources-saving and environmental-friendly” society, and safeguarding a sustainable development of economy and society by sustainable utilization of water resources. 1. Achievement has been made but water resource management faces a great challenge. Water resources are the foundation and backbone for the development of economy and society. Water projects are regarded as the key infrastructure for national economy. The Party Central Committee and State Council attach great importance to solve water resources problems, work out policies and find solutions. A great achievement has been made in water undertaking, for disasters such as floods and droughts are effectively managed, water demand for economic and social development is basically satisfied, safety of people’s life and property is ensured, increase of gain production and farmer’s income is promoted and ecological and environmental recovery is emphasized. However, water problems of water shortage, floods and droughts, water pollution and soil erosion are still severe, which show in four distinct features: 1) water shortage and water waste. In normal year, total water shortage nationwide is nearly 40 billion cubic meters, and particularly in the northern part of China, the situation is worse. Moreover, low water use efficiency and benefits also exist in many parts of China due to unbalanced water use structure and waste of water. 2) Increase of flood prevention capacity encounters continues increase of flood risks. China has established a comprehensive flood prevention and disaster relief system in major rivers and lacks, which are capable of resisting the worst flood since 1950s. However, flood and drought are still hidden troubles of the Chinese Nation, since competition of people and water for land is increasing, high flood risk area and densely-populated area or economically well-developed area are overlapped. 3) Overall situation of water resources is unchanged although water ecologic environment is improved partly. At present, total discharge of polluted water has been increasing year by year, and nearly all rivers running through cities are polluted. The area of soil erosion is expanding. 4) Rural water infrastructure cannot meet the needs of building new socialist countryside. By now, nearly 320 million rural population is inaccessible to drinkable water and the rural infrastructures are still unsubstantial. The cause of resulting this situation involves both factors of external and artificial. The basic water conditions in China is less water with more people, unevenly distribution of water resources in time and space, and land and water resources is unmatched with the layout of economic and social development. Furthermore, extensive economic growth pattern and irrational human activities accelerate the severity of problems related to water and thereby increase the difficulty of dealing with the problems. This indicates that, on one hand, water project development is inconsistent with the sustainable development of economy and society; on the other hand, long-term extensive economic growth pattern is unendurable by water resources and water environmental conditions. 2. Guided by scientific outlook on development and hold scientific water management concept Scientific development is the generalization of the worldviews and methodology, and the important guideline that should been adhered to in long-time when we promote economic and social development and socialist modernization. During the 11th Five-Year Plan period, the key factors of whether we can provide reliable water resources to guarantee the sustainable development of economy and society, are to fully implement scientific outlook on development, to combine the basic concept of scientific development with practices of solving water-related problems, to combine the requirement of a harmonious coexistence between human and nature with the natural rule of water management, to change views and adherence to sustainable development of water resources. Firstly we should make changes from immoderately exploitation of nature to a harmonious coexistence between human and nature and realize sustainable development of economy and society. The relationship between human and water is an epitome of the relationship between human and nature. The history proves repetitively that the more adverse impact put on water, the more damage put on human. The concept of harmonious coexistence between human and nature should be constantly insisted and the relationship between human and water or human and land should be coordinated. We should not only control flood but also leave spaces and outlets for floodwater, not only prevent soil erosion but also rely on self-recovery of nature, not only explore and utilize the water resources but also sustain the balance of water ecosystem, not only meet the water demand in the contemporary era, but also leave enough living and developing spaces for future generations. Secondly we should make changes from waste of water and environment pollution to resource-saving and environmental-friendly development. Pollution and waste are the most harmful factors that human brought on water resources, the result of harming water resources is to harm human himself. The bearing capacity of water resources and water environment in certain river basin or local area is limited. Over-use of water, over-discharge of polluted water and overexploitation and causing damages to environment not only result in high cost of treatment, but also hinder economic development. We should, in line with the requirement of building a resource-saving and environmental-friendly society, correct our wrong doings of “restoration after destroy or treatment after pollution”, emphasize demand-side management of encouraging water conservation in all-around way and improving water use efficiency so as to balance water supply and demand from supply-side management of “continuously meeting water demand”. Along with economic development, resources-saving and environment protection should be devoted high attention. The third is to insist on the concept of human-oriented. Water resources are the basic living resources for human being as well as the basic condition for production and development. The aim of water resources development is to satisfy human need. Response to natural disasters such as flood and drought and all kinds of emergencies, we should put the safety of people’s life and property first. In the development of water resources, to ensure people accessing to the drinkable water should be the priority. Problems that directly related to the interests of people should be firstly solved, and living condition of urban and rural residences should be improved. Human living and working conditions should be ameliorated and water safety level should be enhanced so as to safeguard water resources to the basic needs of people. Fourthly we should insist on the concept of taking all around consideration in development. As water relates to varies respects of our economy and society, we should take all factors into consideration and coordinate development, i.e. integrating economic and social development with water development and promote a coordinated development of economy and society with water resources and water environment. The development of river basin should be integrated with local water resources development for sustaining the overall interests of the river basin and promoting a harmonious development of the river basin. Water development of urban area should be integrated with water development of rural areas and forms a coordinated water development system that each has its own specialized features. Domestic water use should be considered together with other uses of industrial and ecological, so as to meet other water demand as much as possible and sustain a healthy river. 　　 3. Innovating development pattern for dealing with water problems 11th Five-Year Plan period is the time critical for solving water resources problems in China. We should, in line with scientific water management concept, change water development pattern and quicken water development for satisfying the needs of economic and social development to water resources. Meanwhile, through innovating water growth pattern, the transformation of economic growth mode should be supported and self-disciple development of economy and society of benefiting the saving and protection of water resources should be established in order to promote scientific development of our economy and society. Firstly considerations should be given to water bearing capacity and promote the establishment of water-saving society. Building water-saving society is the most basic and effective strategic measure of settling water shortage problem, as well as the important tool and fundamental approach of encouraging transformation of economic growth pattern. The core of building water-saving society is to complete institutional system, and to establish a water resources management system based on the theories of water rights and water market by establishing a water use management system that combines total quantity control with quota management. We should form a water-saving mechanism that centered on economic means, build up a water-saving mode with self-disciple development, increase water use efficiency and benefits continuously and endorse a coordinated development of economy, resources and environment. During 11th Five-Year Plan period, the target of lower 30% of water use per industrial increased value should be reached. The rate of effective use of water in agricultural irrigation should be increase to 0.5. Zero increase should be realized in national irrigation water use. Secondly flood risks should be taken fully consideration so as to realize a harmonious coexistence between human and nature. During the 11th Five-Year Plan period, safety of big rivers and lacks, and major large- and medium-size cities as well as some important facilities should be ensued, and annual average loss caused by flood and drought disasters should be lowered to less than 1.0%. On the one hand, structural measures and non-structural measures should be perfected and comprehensive flood control system should be strengthened to increase the capability of resisting flood. On the other hand, we should regulate human activities, adjust industrial and agricultural production layout, prevent occupation of flood discharge passage, extend storage and discharge spaces for floodwater, leave spaces and outlets for floodwater and regulate and avoid flood risks. In addition, we should consider solving flood and drought problems together with water shortage relief and make a scientific utilization of flood resources. Thirdly management of water function zones needs to be strengthened on the basis of water environment bearing capacity, in order to protect water resources. We should enhance the up-to-standard rate of water quality in water function zones in accordance with the requirement of environmental-friendly society. During 11th Five-Year Plan period, the up-to-standard rate of water quality in water function zones should be upgraded to above 60%, while the up-to-standard rate of water quality in main water sources for urban water supply should be upgraded to above 95%. To realize the above objectives, we should complete division of water function zones, check and ratify the bearing capacity of pollutants in accordance with water quality objectives of water function zones and permissible quantity of pollutants of water bodies, implement total quantity control and quota management and strengthen monitoring and management of pollutant discharge outlets into rivers. We should also study on effective management and payable exchange of pollutant discharge rights, and use economic tools to control pollution. Furthermore, a protection system for drinkable water sources district should be established and completed to protect drinkable water sources. Besides, we should enhance the capacity of response to all kinds of pollution emergencies. Fourthly rural water infrastructures should be built in line with the objectives of building a new socialist countryside. Ensuring safe drinking water for rural farmers should be the priority, and safety drinking water shall be provided in the areas where water is high-florin, high arsenic, salty or polluted, or associated with aqueous endemics such as snail fever, and serious drinking water shortage in some local areas should be emphasized. During the period of 11th Five-Year Plan, drinking water safety for nearly 100 million rural people should be guaranteed and the proportion of people who are unable to reach safe drinking water should be reduced by 1/3. To realize the above objectives, we should improve comprehensive agricultural production capability, continue counterpart structure construction and water-saving rehabilitation in irrigation districts, improve irrigation and drainage facility and rural farmland, enhance disaster-resist capability in agricultural production and safeguard food safety. We should newly increase 150-million mu of water-saving irrigated farmland, and newly increase 30 million mu of effective irrigation areas. We should reinforce defective or ill reservoirs, restore reservoir functions and eliminate hidden troubles. We should speed up hydropower development in rural areas and construction of rural hydropower electrification counties, and extend the construction and application scale of ecological conservation project of “replacing fuel wood with SHP electricity”. We should effectively control the disease of snail fever. We should further our efforts on water and soil conservation, pay attention to prevention and monitoring and rely on the self-rehabilitation of nature, and improve living and working conditions as well as environment in the areas suffering from soil erosion. 　 Fifthly we should balance the relationship between protection and exploration and sustain health of rivers. Scientific planning should be applied in the development, utilization and protection of rivers, according to evolution law, natural characteristics or services functions of rivers, so that the development is rational and based on protection of ecosystem. Environmental problems brought by hydropower development should be paid highly attention, and we should improve system of environmental impact assessment of hydroelectric projects, perform assessment of environmental impact and propose measures for the protection of ecosystem and environment during the construction of projects. In order to play the role of hydropower scheme of ecosystem conservation, environmental appraisal of project operation should be deployed and the dispatching and operation mode of hydropower scheme should be beneficial for ecologic protection. 　　 Solving water-related problems needs a joint efforts of water administrative departments at all levels, and moreover a highly attention paid by the central and local governments and close cooperation between related departments and widely participation of the whole society. Therefore, let us do our best, change water use concept and innovate development pattern, try to realize a harmonious development of water resources, economy and society and dedicate to setting up well-off society in all around way.