296
14 Water Resource Allocation and Regulation in Yellow River Basin
At the same time, the National Planning Commission and MWR issued “Management Methods of Yellow River Water Resources Regulation” in 1998. Article
4 of the document stipulates that, in terms of resources, water resource regulation
includes runoffs in trunk and tributary and reservoir storage and considers groundwater development. According to Article 8, the water volume of the river section in
the trunk stream is controlled by the total water consumption in the river section and
discharge from the river section. In fact, this re-defines the available water supply
volume based on runoff in the 1987 plan to the consumption volume based on the river
basin resources, including surface and groundwater in tributary and trunk (National
Planning Commission and MWR 1998b).
14.2.3 Yellow River Water Resources Regulation
Management Regulation
In 2006, the State Council issued the “Yellow River Water Resources Regulation
Management Regulation.” The regulation stipulates the formulation agency, principle, procedure, approval, and amendment for the water resource allocation plan of
the Yellow River. Article 8 of the regulation provides that the available water supply
volume is the maximum volume that can supply urban and rural domestic, agricultural, industrial, and out-of-stream ecological and environmental uses, in the annual
average natural runoff of the trunk and tributary in the river basin, by deducting the
necessary sediment transportation volume (State Council 2006).
14.2.4 Water Resource Allocation in the Hangjin Irrigation
District
The Hangjin County Yellow River Southern Bank Irrigation District (HID), one of
three major irrigation zones of Inner Mongolia, is located on the south bank of the
Yellow River, northwest of Ordos City in Inner Mongolia. The district covers an area
of approximately 23,000 ha. Of this, roughly 21,000 ha are gravity fed and 1,700 ha
are pumped (at the head of the system).
The HID draws all of its water from the Yellow River. The HID Management
Bureau holds the water abstraction permit issued by the YRCC, and its water
abstraction is therefore controlled, ultimately, by the YRCC.
The HID is famous in China’s water sector as a pilot area for the transfer of
water rights from agricultural to industrial users, as discussed in Sect. 14.4. Under
a provincial initiative started in 2003, the irrigation district saved 130 million m
3
through canal lining; this “saved” water has subsequently been transferred to industrial users. Payments for the water rights by the industrial users have been used to
14 Water Resource Allocation and Regulation in Yellow River Basin
At the same time, the National Planning Commission and MWR issued “Management Methods of Yellow River Water Resources Regulation” in 1998. Article
4 of the document stipulates that, in terms of resources, water resource regulation
includes runoffs in trunk and tributary and reservoir storage and considers groundwater development. According to Article 8, the water volume of the river section in
the trunk stream is controlled by the total water consumption in the river section and
discharge from the river section. In fact, this re-defines the available water supply
volume based on runoff in the 1987 plan to the consumption volume based on the river
basin resources, including surface and groundwater in tributary and trunk (National
Planning Commission and MWR 1998b).
14.2.3 Yellow River Water Resources Regulation
Management Regulation
In 2006, the State Council issued the “Yellow River Water Resources Regulation
Management Regulation.” The regulation stipulates the formulation agency, principle, procedure, approval, and amendment for the water resource allocation plan of
the Yellow River. Article 8 of the regulation provides that the available water supply
volume is the maximum volume that can supply urban and rural domestic, agricultural, industrial, and out-of-stream ecological and environmental uses, in the annual
average natural runoff of the trunk and tributary in the river basin, by deducting the
necessary sediment transportation volume (State Council 2006).
14.2.4 Water Resource Allocation in the Hangjin Irrigation
District
The Hangjin County Yellow River Southern Bank Irrigation District (HID), one of
three major irrigation zones of Inner Mongolia, is located on the south bank of the
Yellow River, northwest of Ordos City in Inner Mongolia. The district covers an area
of approximately 23,000 ha. Of this, roughly 21,000 ha are gravity fed and 1,700 ha
are pumped (at the head of the system).
The HID draws all of its water from the Yellow River. The HID Management
Bureau holds the water abstraction permit issued by the YRCC, and its water
abstraction is therefore controlled, ultimately, by the YRCC.
The HID is famous in China’s water sector as a pilot area for the transfer of
water rights from agricultural to industrial users, as discussed in Sect. 14.4. Under
a provincial initiative started in 2003, the irrigation district saved 130 million m
3
through canal lining; this “saved” water has subsequently been transferred to industrial users. Payments for the water rights by the industrial users have been used to