14.3 Water Resource Regulation
301
“One contract” refers to the purchase of a water ticket by a WUA from the relevant
section office under the HID Management Bureau; “one ticket” refers to the prepurchased water ticket specifying the quantity of water demanded by each WUA
prior to each irrigation period; “one table” refers to the water fee calculation table
that is used to calculate the water fee payable by the WUA on a particular day, and the
quantity of water that will, therefore, be released through the gate; and “one notice”
refers to the notice that is publicly displayed afterward showing the water volume
received and the fee paid by each WUA and acceptance by WUAs of monitoring and
supervision arrangements for delivery. In addition, each WUA is obliged to openly
record the irrigated area and fee payment of each water user (WET 2007).
14.4 Water Trade in the Yellow River
The Yellow River is famous for the water rights trade in the Inner Mongolia and
Ningxia regions. In the early 2000s, the development of electric power generation
and the coal chemical industry was necessary to realize rapid economic growth in
two regions. However, the 1987 plan does not allow to divert additional water from
the trunk of the Yellow River. Most of the irrigation areas along the Yellow River
were built during the 1950s to 1960s. Owing to their age and a lack of maintenance,
the current water-use efficiency of the channel system can only reach 0.35–0.45.
Therefore, there is a high potential for saving water. The government is of the opinion
that the basic way to solve the industrial water shortage and agricultural water waste
is to allow the industrial projects to invest in agricultural water-saving engineering; to
save the useless water volume leaking or evaporating during the irrigation process;
and, through a water rights transfer, to convert water use in the energy projects
planned to be constructed.
In 2003, YRCC and the Inner Mongolian Department of Water Resources
launched pilot projects of the water rights transfer.
During 2003–2006, more than 30 potential projects for water rights transfer were
identified in Inner Mongolia, of which 16 projects formally signed agreements on
water rights transfers, involving a total transfer of 840 million RMB and a total
transfer of the rights to 153 million m
3 of water (WET 2006).
HID is the core region of water trade. The first phase water rights transfer project
started in 2005 and ended in Sept 2008. The project cost 702 million RMB to line
1,402 km of canals and construct 52,115 buildings, and it saved 147 million m
3 water
annually. The transferred volume is 130 million m
3 for 40 industrial projects.
The second-phase project launched in 2010 and finished in 2015. The project
focused more on on-field water saving. The 450 million RMB investment lined
252 km canals and developed 29,600 ha water-saving land. The 100 million m
3
water was provided to 22 industrial projects.
2
2 https://wemedia.ifeng.com/77679670/wemedia.shtml.
301
“One contract” refers to the purchase of a water ticket by a WUA from the relevant
section office under the HID Management Bureau; “one ticket” refers to the prepurchased water ticket specifying the quantity of water demanded by each WUA
prior to each irrigation period; “one table” refers to the water fee calculation table
that is used to calculate the water fee payable by the WUA on a particular day, and the
quantity of water that will, therefore, be released through the gate; and “one notice”
refers to the notice that is publicly displayed afterward showing the water volume
received and the fee paid by each WUA and acceptance by WUAs of monitoring and
supervision arrangements for delivery. In addition, each WUA is obliged to openly
record the irrigated area and fee payment of each water user (WET 2007).
14.4 Water Trade in the Yellow River
The Yellow River is famous for the water rights trade in the Inner Mongolia and
Ningxia regions. In the early 2000s, the development of electric power generation
and the coal chemical industry was necessary to realize rapid economic growth in
two regions. However, the 1987 plan does not allow to divert additional water from
the trunk of the Yellow River. Most of the irrigation areas along the Yellow River
were built during the 1950s to 1960s. Owing to their age and a lack of maintenance,
the current water-use efficiency of the channel system can only reach 0.35–0.45.
Therefore, there is a high potential for saving water. The government is of the opinion
that the basic way to solve the industrial water shortage and agricultural water waste
is to allow the industrial projects to invest in agricultural water-saving engineering; to
save the useless water volume leaking or evaporating during the irrigation process;
and, through a water rights transfer, to convert water use in the energy projects
planned to be constructed.
In 2003, YRCC and the Inner Mongolian Department of Water Resources
launched pilot projects of the water rights transfer.
During 2003–2006, more than 30 potential projects for water rights transfer were
identified in Inner Mongolia, of which 16 projects formally signed agreements on
water rights transfers, involving a total transfer of 840 million RMB and a total
transfer of the rights to 153 million m
3 of water (WET 2006).
HID is the core region of water trade. The first phase water rights transfer project
started in 2005 and ended in Sept 2008. The project cost 702 million RMB to line
1,402 km of canals and construct 52,115 buildings, and it saved 147 million m
3 water
annually. The transferred volume is 130 million m
3 for 40 industrial projects.
The second-phase project launched in 2010 and finished in 2015. The project
focused more on on-field water saving. The 450 million RMB investment lined
252 km canals and developed 29,600 ha water-saving land. The 100 million m
3
water was provided to 22 industrial projects.
2
2 https://wemedia.ifeng.com/77679670/wemedia.shtml.