11.2 System Framework
249
Provincial water dept.
(river chief office)
Provincial eco-environmental dept.
Prefectural water dept.
(river chief office)
Prefectural eco-environmental dept.
Township water station
County water dept.
(river chief office)
county eco-environmental dept.
Provincial river chief
Prefectural river chief
Township river chief
County river chief
Village river chief
MEE
MWR
River chief joint meeting
Fig. 11.1 Institutional map of river chief system. Elaborated by the author
a river chief at an upper level, both technically and managerially. At the same time,
relevant departments are horizontally led by both governmental responsible leader
and river chiefs, which results in a highly complex system.
11.3 System Implementation
Strongly encouraged by the central government, at the end of June 2018, all 31
provinces had developed a river chief system, and there were around one million
river chiefs. More than 300,000 river chiefs have been appointed at the provincial,
prefectural, county, and township levels. Twenty-nine provinces have extended the
system to villages, and there are 760,000 village river chiefs. All provinces have
simultaneously developed river chief offices at the province, prefecture, and county
levels. Supporting systems and mechanisms have also been established, including
river chief meetings, information sharing, information reporting, work supervision,
assessments, accountability, incentives, and verification. A river chief mechanism to
encourage “leadership responsibility, water resources bureau leading, departmental
corporation, and public participation” has been formulated. At the same time, there
has been extensive public participation in river/lake management and protection.
Many local celebrities, as well as volunteers, become river chiefs and are involved
in river management and protection.
4
In terms of the lake chief system, at end of June 2018, of 2,865 of the country’s
lakes with a water surface area of more than 1 km
2 , 2,608 had been appointed a
lake chief, and the lakes without a chief were mostly located in plateaus or remote
4 http://www.mwr.gov.cn/hd/zxft/zxzb/fbh20180717/.
249
Provincial water dept.
(river chief office)
Provincial eco-environmental dept.
Prefectural water dept.
(river chief office)
Prefectural eco-environmental dept.
Township water station
County water dept.
(river chief office)
county eco-environmental dept.
Provincial river chief
Prefectural river chief
Township river chief
County river chief
Village river chief
MEE
MWR
River chief joint meeting
Fig. 11.1 Institutional map of river chief system. Elaborated by the author
a river chief at an upper level, both technically and managerially. At the same time,
relevant departments are horizontally led by both governmental responsible leader
and river chiefs, which results in a highly complex system.
11.3 System Implementation
Strongly encouraged by the central government, at the end of June 2018, all 31
provinces had developed a river chief system, and there were around one million
river chiefs. More than 300,000 river chiefs have been appointed at the provincial,
prefectural, county, and township levels. Twenty-nine provinces have extended the
system to villages, and there are 760,000 village river chiefs. All provinces have
simultaneously developed river chief offices at the province, prefecture, and county
levels. Supporting systems and mechanisms have also been established, including
river chief meetings, information sharing, information reporting, work supervision,
assessments, accountability, incentives, and verification. A river chief mechanism to
encourage “leadership responsibility, water resources bureau leading, departmental
corporation, and public participation” has been formulated. At the same time, there
has been extensive public participation in river/lake management and protection.
Many local celebrities, as well as volunteers, become river chiefs and are involved
in river management and protection.
4
In terms of the lake chief system, at end of June 2018, of 2,865 of the country’s
lakes with a water surface area of more than 1 km
2 , 2,608 had been appointed a
lake chief, and the lakes without a chief were mostly located in plateaus or remote
4 http://www.mwr.gov.cn/hd/zxft/zxzb/fbh20180717/.