2.2 Main Water Resources Management Systems
41
of management objectives, the systems required could be envisioned as abstraction
control, consumption control, and use control (Shen 2020).
The river basin total water volume control indicator consists of annual average and
annual/seasonal water resources development volumes. The annual average volume is
defined in the river basin water resources allocation plan or water resources allocation
agreement, and the annual/seasonal volume is defined in the river basin annual water
resources regulation plan.
The regional total water volume control indicator refers to the annual average
and annual/seasonal water resources development and use volumes for a region.
According to China’s administrative system, the regional volumes could be the targets
at the provincial, prefecture, and county levels. The annual average regional indicator
and the annual/seasonal indicator are included temporarily. Compared to the river
basin indicators, all of the other indicators are identical, except for geographical
differences. The average indicator is determined by the river basin water resources
allocation plan, while the annual/seasonal indicator is formulated by the annual water
resources regulation plan.
The indicator at the permit level is the water abstraction indicator, which refers to
the annual average and annual water abstraction volume under a permit. The annual
average indicator is recorded in the water abstraction permit as the water abstraction
volume. The annual indicator is defined as the allowed volume in a specific year and
reflected in the annual water abstraction plan.
The public water supply system includes the urban water supply system and the
rural irrigation districts. The management agencies that hold the water abstraction
permits supply the water they transfer to individual water users, rather than utilizing
it themselves. Additionally, long- and short-term water volume controls apply in both
systems for the individual water user in China.
Various definitions for water volume in control, including abstraction, consumption, and use, are employed for different management purposes and regions in China.
In theory, the abstraction volume control is only required to manage abstraction, with
no demand on consumption and use; the use control only manages the use volume,
with no demand on consumption. The consumption control is only required to limit
the consumptive volume, with no requirement for abstraction and use. However,
in practice, these definitions are closely linked in the hydrological cycle and water
resources development process.
The abstraction volume is applied both at the abstraction level and for river
basins/regions with abundant water resources, such as those found in southern China.
Abstraction is a legal definition in the permit system. In the river basins and regions
with abundant water resources, consumption will not have a significant impact on
the other users, thus the management focus is on the quality of the return flow rather
than its quantity.
The consumption volume is widely applied in northern China because of a
shortage of water, including in the Yellow River Basin, the Hei River Basin, the
Tarim River Basin, and the Shiyang River Basin. In these river basins, a portion of
water used downstream comes from the return flow of the upstream users. If the
upstream users consumed more water, the downstream users would have less water
41
of management objectives, the systems required could be envisioned as abstraction
control, consumption control, and use control (Shen 2020).
The river basin total water volume control indicator consists of annual average and
annual/seasonal water resources development volumes. The annual average volume is
defined in the river basin water resources allocation plan or water resources allocation
agreement, and the annual/seasonal volume is defined in the river basin annual water
resources regulation plan.
The regional total water volume control indicator refers to the annual average
and annual/seasonal water resources development and use volumes for a region.
According to China’s administrative system, the regional volumes could be the targets
at the provincial, prefecture, and county levels. The annual average regional indicator
and the annual/seasonal indicator are included temporarily. Compared to the river
basin indicators, all of the other indicators are identical, except for geographical
differences. The average indicator is determined by the river basin water resources
allocation plan, while the annual/seasonal indicator is formulated by the annual water
resources regulation plan.
The indicator at the permit level is the water abstraction indicator, which refers to
the annual average and annual water abstraction volume under a permit. The annual
average indicator is recorded in the water abstraction permit as the water abstraction
volume. The annual indicator is defined as the allowed volume in a specific year and
reflected in the annual water abstraction plan.
The public water supply system includes the urban water supply system and the
rural irrigation districts. The management agencies that hold the water abstraction
permits supply the water they transfer to individual water users, rather than utilizing
it themselves. Additionally, long- and short-term water volume controls apply in both
systems for the individual water user in China.
Various definitions for water volume in control, including abstraction, consumption, and use, are employed for different management purposes and regions in China.
In theory, the abstraction volume control is only required to manage abstraction, with
no demand on consumption and use; the use control only manages the use volume,
with no demand on consumption. The consumption control is only required to limit
the consumptive volume, with no requirement for abstraction and use. However,
in practice, these definitions are closely linked in the hydrological cycle and water
resources development process.
The abstraction volume is applied both at the abstraction level and for river
basins/regions with abundant water resources, such as those found in southern China.
Abstraction is a legal definition in the permit system. In the river basins and regions
with abundant water resources, consumption will not have a significant impact on
the other users, thus the management focus is on the quality of the return flow rather
than its quantity.
The consumption volume is widely applied in northern China because of a
shortage of water, including in the Yellow River Basin, the Hei River Basin, the
Tarim River Basin, and the Shiyang River Basin. In these river basins, a portion of
water used downstream comes from the return flow of the upstream users. If the
upstream users consumed more water, the downstream users would have less water