5 Reality and Challenges of China’s Water Resources Management …
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(3) Increasingly market-based water management: water is of infinite value, yet
the use of water incurs cost; so water use shall follow the law of value. The
entire process of water supply consists of withdrawal and transportation in the
earlier phase, maintenance and management in the later phase and the disposal
and reuse of wastewater. Currently, water is cheap in China, resulting in the
transfer of profits from water suppliers to water users. The low price, in some
measure, has led to depletion of underground water and hampered control of
surface and underground water pollution, and has failed to incentivize industrial
sectors to proactively curb water pollution or reuse industrial sewage, hence the
commonplace of water waste in enterprises.
(4) Establishment of a water-saving society: campaigns are now underway in many
parts of China to build a water-saving society, especially in the north. The
outgrowth of social development, a water-saving society involves maximum
economic and social benefits of water resources and the subsequent creation of
material abundance and a pleasant ecological environment.
(5) Adoption of advanced technologies to empower water management: advanced
technologies in this regard mainly refer to computing technology, remote sensing
and communications, the application of which represents a basic trend of water
management. The water resources management system built upon computing
technology, including mathematical modeling for various purposes, GIS and
MIS, etc., has made enormous contribution to water management. Now, GIS,
MIS and related auxiliary systems in water resources have been launched in
many developed countries with the aid of computing and remote sensing technologies, and have reaped fruitful results. Such success stories can be learned
for more effective water management in China.
5.1.4 Water Challenges in China
The availability of total water resources in China features considerable regional variation and remains a stumbling block for some regions. Though no major changes are
observed in total amount of water in recent years, some regions are being challenged
by a sharp drop in water availability and greater inter-annual fluctuations, which
might have worsened water shortage in these areas in certain years. Meanwhile,
regions suffering from inherent water shortage are still constrained by water availability. Examples can be found in the northwestern river basin in the arid climate
zone, where the increasing water resources during the last 20 years cannot override its dry climate conditions as the aggregate increase remains limited. Besides,
the geographical distribution of water resources in China will not be essentially
transformed with the influence of future climate change, and the seasonal variation
will widen as extreme climate events increase. In general, inadequate availability in
certain regions and uneven seasonal distribution will pose challenges for meeting the
need and ensuring appropriate use of water resources.
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(3) Increasingly market-based water management: water is of infinite value, yet
the use of water incurs cost; so water use shall follow the law of value. The
entire process of water supply consists of withdrawal and transportation in the
earlier phase, maintenance and management in the later phase and the disposal
and reuse of wastewater. Currently, water is cheap in China, resulting in the
transfer of profits from water suppliers to water users. The low price, in some
measure, has led to depletion of underground water and hampered control of
surface and underground water pollution, and has failed to incentivize industrial
sectors to proactively curb water pollution or reuse industrial sewage, hence the
commonplace of water waste in enterprises.
(4) Establishment of a water-saving society: campaigns are now underway in many
parts of China to build a water-saving society, especially in the north. The
outgrowth of social development, a water-saving society involves maximum
economic and social benefits of water resources and the subsequent creation of
material abundance and a pleasant ecological environment.
(5) Adoption of advanced technologies to empower water management: advanced
technologies in this regard mainly refer to computing technology, remote sensing
and communications, the application of which represents a basic trend of water
management. The water resources management system built upon computing
technology, including mathematical modeling for various purposes, GIS and
MIS, etc., has made enormous contribution to water management. Now, GIS,
MIS and related auxiliary systems in water resources have been launched in
many developed countries with the aid of computing and remote sensing technologies, and have reaped fruitful results. Such success stories can be learned
for more effective water management in China.
5.1.4 Water Challenges in China
The availability of total water resources in China features considerable regional variation and remains a stumbling block for some regions. Though no major changes are
observed in total amount of water in recent years, some regions are being challenged
by a sharp drop in water availability and greater inter-annual fluctuations, which
might have worsened water shortage in these areas in certain years. Meanwhile,
regions suffering from inherent water shortage are still constrained by water availability. Examples can be found in the northwestern river basin in the arid climate
zone, where the increasing water resources during the last 20 years cannot override its dry climate conditions as the aggregate increase remains limited. Besides,
the geographical distribution of water resources in China will not be essentially
transformed with the influence of future climate change, and the seasonal variation
will widen as extreme climate events increase. In general, inadequate availability in
certain regions and uneven seasonal distribution will pose challenges for meeting the
need and ensuring appropriate use of water resources.