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3 Water Resources Management Institutions
• Ministry of Agriculture. The issue between the Ministry of Agriculture and the
MWR is the irrigation development and rural water resources works. Ordinarily,
the MWR holds these functions, but when the MWP had hydropower development
functions, irrigation development was assigned to the Ministry of Agriculture.
• Ministry of Construction and MOHURD. The key issue between the Ministry
of Construction and the MWR is urban water resources management, including
urban flood control, water supply, water-saving and groundwater development and
management in urban areas. After the 1998 governmental restructuring, almost
all urban water management responsibilities were incorporated into the MWR.
• Ministry of Geological and Mineral Resources, MLR, and MNR. The key issue
between these two departments is the monitoring, investigation, and management
of groundwater. After 1998, most functions, particularly in quantity, were shifted
to the MWR. In recent years, however, increasing groundwater pollution problems
have become a shared concern among the MWR, MEE, and MLR. After 2018, the
groundwater quality management was assigned to the MEE. Additionally, with
the establishment of ownership holding of public natural resources, the water
resources asset is managed by the MNR, while related activities such as resources
investigation, assessment, and registration are also conducted by the MNR.
• SEPA, MEP, and MEE. The crossover issue is water quality management in water
resources protection and pollution control, surface water and groundwater. Before
2018, the MWR was responsible for water bodies in terms of water resources and
ecosystem protection, while the MEP and SEPA handled pollution control, with
the boundary at land and waters. The 2018 reform transferred full responsibility
for water quality management to the MEE.
• Ministry of Power. Large-scale hydropower development is the issue between the
water and energy sectors. Since the Ministry of Power was organized for extensive
hydropower development, the MWR does not hold this function. However, all rural
and small hydropower development is managed by the MWR.
• MEM. Before 2018, the MWR was responsible for water-related disaster relief.
However, following the establishment of the general emergency department, the
MWR only retains its planning functions.
In almost 70 years, the MWR’s functions have undergone many changes. It developed from an agency for agricultural development in the 1950s to a combination of
water infrastructure construction and hydropower development in the 1960s and
1970s. Its key responsibilities concerned water infrastructure construction and water
resources management in the 1980s and 1990s, then water resources management in
2000s, but reverted to the management of water resources projects, water resources,
and waters after 2018. While China has a long history of important water institutions, changes in water issues in the future could result in the MWR being reformed
to merge with an environmental agency, as in Australia and the UK.
3 Water Resources Management Institutions
• Ministry of Agriculture. The issue between the Ministry of Agriculture and the
MWR is the irrigation development and rural water resources works. Ordinarily,
the MWR holds these functions, but when the MWP had hydropower development
functions, irrigation development was assigned to the Ministry of Agriculture.
• Ministry of Construction and MOHURD. The key issue between the Ministry
of Construction and the MWR is urban water resources management, including
urban flood control, water supply, water-saving and groundwater development and
management in urban areas. After the 1998 governmental restructuring, almost
all urban water management responsibilities were incorporated into the MWR.
• Ministry of Geological and Mineral Resources, MLR, and MNR. The key issue
between these two departments is the monitoring, investigation, and management
of groundwater. After 1998, most functions, particularly in quantity, were shifted
to the MWR. In recent years, however, increasing groundwater pollution problems
have become a shared concern among the MWR, MEE, and MLR. After 2018, the
groundwater quality management was assigned to the MEE. Additionally, with
the establishment of ownership holding of public natural resources, the water
resources asset is managed by the MNR, while related activities such as resources
investigation, assessment, and registration are also conducted by the MNR.
• SEPA, MEP, and MEE. The crossover issue is water quality management in water
resources protection and pollution control, surface water and groundwater. Before
2018, the MWR was responsible for water bodies in terms of water resources and
ecosystem protection, while the MEP and SEPA handled pollution control, with
the boundary at land and waters. The 2018 reform transferred full responsibility
for water quality management to the MEE.
• Ministry of Power. Large-scale hydropower development is the issue between the
water and energy sectors. Since the Ministry of Power was organized for extensive
hydropower development, the MWR does not hold this function. However, all rural
and small hydropower development is managed by the MWR.
• MEM. Before 2018, the MWR was responsible for water-related disaster relief.
However, following the establishment of the general emergency department, the
MWR only retains its planning functions.
In almost 70 years, the MWR’s functions have undergone many changes. It developed from an agency for agricultural development in the 1950s to a combination of
water infrastructure construction and hydropower development in the 1960s and
1970s. Its key responsibilities concerned water infrastructure construction and water
resources management in the 1980s and 1990s, then water resources management in
2000s, but reverted to the management of water resources projects, water resources,
and waters after 2018. While China has a long history of important water institutions, changes in water issues in the future could result in the MWR being reformed
to merge with an environmental agency, as in Australia and the UK.