16.5 Beijing
353
spring water as mineral resources; and the environmental department was responsible
for water quality monitoring and wastewater control (Liu 2004).
Given the institutional problems related to water, reform of water resources
management institutions had been discussed since the 1980s. Early in the 1980s,
the water resources committee was established and led by the municipal governor
as the decision body to deal with the five-year continuous drought. The proposal
to create a WAB was developed in 1985 and reiterated in 1991 and 1995. In 2000,
during the governmental restructuring, the water resources bureau was charged with
integrated management of water resources and incorporated functions from the planning department and the urban municipal department; however, water supply, water
drainage, and urban water saving were controlled by other departments. In 2002, the
municipal government set up a water affairs coordination joint meeting to coordinate
key water activities.
From 1999 to 2004, the municipality endured a six-year drought, and the call
to reform water institutions became more pressing. In 2004, the Beijing Municipal
Government decided to reform water institutions by dismantling the water resources
bureau and forming a WAB to strengthen the integrated management of municipal
water resources; develop water savings in the city; and promote comprehensive, coordinated, and socioeconomically sustainable development. The Beijing WAB took
over all water administrative functions from the Beijing water resources bureau. It
also incorporated responsibilities for urban water supply, water saving, drainage
and wastewater treatment, groundwater development, and use and protection in
urban planning zones, which had been responsibilities of the Beijing Municipal
Commission of Urban Management.
After the establishment of the Beijing municipal WAB at the end of 2005, all
14 counties and districts under the municipality formed WABs. The 114 crosstown catchment-based water affairs stations were restructured, as were 125 farmers
WUAs and 3,927 village sub-WUAs. All those formed a four-level (from municipality to country/district, town/county/catchment, village) water affairs management
institution in Beijing.
4
The functions of the Beijing WAB included the following (Beijing Municipal
Government 2004):
• Researching municipal water affairs development strategy; drafting water-related
local regulations and rules; proposing and organizing the implementation of
medium- and long-term water affairs development plans and annual plans; organizing water affairs assessment for socio-economic development plans, urban
overall plans, and major construction projects; and participating in the formulation
of relevant water resource plans.
• Providing unified management of municipal water resources (including surface
water, groundwater, and air water); formulating and supervising the implementation of medium- and long-term water supply and demand plans and water resource
4 https://www.chinawater.com.cn/ztgz/xwzt/2008ggkf30/4/200812/t20081216_125718.htm.
353
spring water as mineral resources; and the environmental department was responsible
for water quality monitoring and wastewater control (Liu 2004).
Given the institutional problems related to water, reform of water resources
management institutions had been discussed since the 1980s. Early in the 1980s,
the water resources committee was established and led by the municipal governor
as the decision body to deal with the five-year continuous drought. The proposal
to create a WAB was developed in 1985 and reiterated in 1991 and 1995. In 2000,
during the governmental restructuring, the water resources bureau was charged with
integrated management of water resources and incorporated functions from the planning department and the urban municipal department; however, water supply, water
drainage, and urban water saving were controlled by other departments. In 2002, the
municipal government set up a water affairs coordination joint meeting to coordinate
key water activities.
From 1999 to 2004, the municipality endured a six-year drought, and the call
to reform water institutions became more pressing. In 2004, the Beijing Municipal
Government decided to reform water institutions by dismantling the water resources
bureau and forming a WAB to strengthen the integrated management of municipal
water resources; develop water savings in the city; and promote comprehensive, coordinated, and socioeconomically sustainable development. The Beijing WAB took
over all water administrative functions from the Beijing water resources bureau. It
also incorporated responsibilities for urban water supply, water saving, drainage
and wastewater treatment, groundwater development, and use and protection in
urban planning zones, which had been responsibilities of the Beijing Municipal
Commission of Urban Management.
After the establishment of the Beijing municipal WAB at the end of 2005, all
14 counties and districts under the municipality formed WABs. The 114 crosstown catchment-based water affairs stations were restructured, as were 125 farmers
WUAs and 3,927 village sub-WUAs. All those formed a four-level (from municipality to country/district, town/county/catchment, village) water affairs management
institution in Beijing.
4
The functions of the Beijing WAB included the following (Beijing Municipal
Government 2004):
• Researching municipal water affairs development strategy; drafting water-related
local regulations and rules; proposing and organizing the implementation of
medium- and long-term water affairs development plans and annual plans; organizing water affairs assessment for socio-economic development plans, urban
overall plans, and major construction projects; and participating in the formulation
of relevant water resource plans.
• Providing unified management of municipal water resources (including surface
water, groundwater, and air water); formulating and supervising the implementation of medium- and long-term water supply and demand plans and water resource
4 https://www.chinawater.com.cn/ztgz/xwzt/2008ggkf30/4/200812/t20081216_125718.htm.