358
16 Integrated Urban and Rural Water Affair Management Reform …
In about 10 years (from the late 1990 to 2008) of reform promoted by the MWR
and another 20 years of self-reform by local governments, integrated urban and
rural water affairs reform reflects a short history of management and institutional
attempt in water sector. Factors promoting this reform include lower water availability per capita, occasional drought events, and a higher percentage of central
water investment, but the data from the urban sector do not support the reform.
Considering socio-economic conditions, the reform clearly demonstrates that “the
rural (water resources bureau) surrounds and occupies the urban (the construction
bureau)” in water management in China. At the same time, because reform is more
strongly promoted by water resource departments than by local governments, it is
inevitably criticized for enlarging departmental power and is objected to by other
affected departments. In terms of reforms, under function rearrangement the water
department competes with the urban or construction department for rights to manage
water supply and drainage and with the environmental protection agency for rights
to manage water pollution. Therefore, only a stronger water resources management
bureau, possibly with severe water problems or with more central investment, could
be successful in promoting reform. The differences in functions of WABs reflect
local departmental resistance and the local government’s support for reform.
16.7 Summary
This chapter analyzes integrated urban and rural water affairs management reform in
China in the face of changing water resource problems, with case studies of Shanghai
and Beijing. The chapter introduces changes in the water sector brought about by
rapid socio-economic development, analyzes the institutional basis for conducting
reform, and describes the reform process. With Shanghai and Beijing as examples,
the chapter examines the characteristics and functions of the Water Affairs Bureau.
In terms of water affairs, the relationship between rural and urban regions is
becoming closer with increasing urbanization. Significant increases in urban water
usage raise the need to reform the patterns of water resources management. Reform
in integrated urban and rural water affairs was proposed by China’s water sector and
some of its managers in the early 1990s. To some degree, this reform is a merging of
water quality, quantity, and urban and rural efforts to improve communication and
coordination. The reform process can be divided into a locally initiated reform effort
in the early 1990s, an MWR-promoted effort from then until 2008, and a locally
decided effort after 2008. The reforms in both Shanghai and Beijing have achieved
management efficiency in water resources.
16 Integrated Urban and Rural Water Affair Management Reform …
In about 10 years (from the late 1990 to 2008) of reform promoted by the MWR
and another 20 years of self-reform by local governments, integrated urban and
rural water affairs reform reflects a short history of management and institutional
attempt in water sector. Factors promoting this reform include lower water availability per capita, occasional drought events, and a higher percentage of central
water investment, but the data from the urban sector do not support the reform.
Considering socio-economic conditions, the reform clearly demonstrates that “the
rural (water resources bureau) surrounds and occupies the urban (the construction
bureau)” in water management in China. At the same time, because reform is more
strongly promoted by water resource departments than by local governments, it is
inevitably criticized for enlarging departmental power and is objected to by other
affected departments. In terms of reforms, under function rearrangement the water
department competes with the urban or construction department for rights to manage
water supply and drainage and with the environmental protection agency for rights
to manage water pollution. Therefore, only a stronger water resources management
bureau, possibly with severe water problems or with more central investment, could
be successful in promoting reform. The differences in functions of WABs reflect
local departmental resistance and the local government’s support for reform.
16.7 Summary
This chapter analyzes integrated urban and rural water affairs management reform in
China in the face of changing water resource problems, with case studies of Shanghai
and Beijing. The chapter introduces changes in the water sector brought about by
rapid socio-economic development, analyzes the institutional basis for conducting
reform, and describes the reform process. With Shanghai and Beijing as examples,
the chapter examines the characteristics and functions of the Water Affairs Bureau.
In terms of water affairs, the relationship between rural and urban regions is
becoming closer with increasing urbanization. Significant increases in urban water
usage raise the need to reform the patterns of water resources management. Reform
in integrated urban and rural water affairs was proposed by China’s water sector and
some of its managers in the early 1990s. To some degree, this reform is a merging of
water quality, quantity, and urban and rural efforts to improve communication and
coordination. The reform process can be divided into a locally initiated reform effort
in the early 1990s, an MWR-promoted effort from then until 2008, and a locally
decided effort after 2008. The reforms in both Shanghai and Beijing have achieved
management efficiency in water resources.