China UK, WRDMAP Integrated Water Resources Management Document Series

Transcription

1 1. IWRM 2. IWRM 3. Modelling China UK, WRDMAP Integrated Water Resources Management Document Series Example 2.5: Preparation of a Drought Management Plan for Chaoyang Municipality, Liaoning Province, Focused on Water Resources May Permitting 5. Water Saving Society Chaoyang Municipality Drought Management Plan (Approved October 2008) 8. Institution and Law 7. Society & Environment 6. Economic Tools

2 Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) (Basics after Global Water Partnership) Ecological sustainability Enabling environment Allocation Regulations Economic Tools... Management instruments Economic efficiency Policies Legislation Fora and mechanisms for participation International / inter-provincial co-operation... Institutional Roles Level of action Management boundaries Capacity building.... Social Equity Driving Elements of Integrated Water Resources Management Environm ental Considerations Regulation and Control Water Permits Soci al Considerations Water Resources Resource Assessments Water Resources Management Water Use Norms Water Demands Institutional Considerations Resource Charges and Water Tariffs Financial Resources Econ om ic Considerations (Second figure after WRDMAP)

3 Summary: Drought is a normal climatic feature. That it is also a serious and continuing worldwide water issue is more due to lack of effective water planning and management than to climate. In 2008, with support from the Water Resources Demand Management Assistance Project, the Chaoyang Municipality Water Affairs Bureau completed the preparation of an initial Drought Management Plan for that portion of the Municipality in the Upper Daling River Basin. In October 2008 the Drought Management Plan was approved by the local government. This document describes the preparation of the Chaoyang Municipality Drought Management Plan to illustrate the challenges faced by water resource managers tasked with mobilising the resources and getting local buy-in to develop a drought management plan for their area. The document covers: Introduction Background Plan development process Contents of the Chaoyang Municipality DMP Timeline Agreeing indices and triggers Lessons This document is one of a series covering topics on sustainable water resources planning, allocation and management. Details are given in the bibliography. The Ministry of Water Resources have supported the Water Resources Demand Management Assistance Project (WRDMAP) to develop this series to support WRD/WAB at provincial, municipal and county levels in their efforts to achieve sustainable water use. 1 Introduction 1.1 Drought management - the wider perspective This Example focuses on drought management from the perspective of water resources managers since the Chaoyang Municipality Drought Management Plan (DMP) was taken forward by the local Water Affairs Bureau. The Chaoyang Municipality DMP does not, as presently issued, deal in any detail with the many socioeconomic consequences of drought and the necessary measures to alleviate drought impacts on livelihoods and living conditions. A DMP fully compliant with the Terms of Reference for Drought Relief Plan Formulation, issued by the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters Office in 2006, would address these wider issues. Therefore, when reading this Example it is important to bear in mind that preparing for, and dealing with, the consequences of drought on the human population involves a much wider range of stakeholders than just water sector institutions. The somewhat limited scope of the Example however allows the critical water resources aspects of drought management planning of most interest to water resources managers to be explored in detail. 1.2 Scope of the example Drought is a normal climatic feature. That it is also a serious and continuing worldwide water issue is more due to lack of effective water planning and management than to climate. No region is immune to drought problems. The Chaoyang Municipality of Liaoning Province is located on the boundary of Page 1 of 23

4 Inner Mongolia, Hebei and Liaoning provinces, with a population in 2005 of 3.4 million. The Chaoyang Municipality administrative area contains four individual river basins: Daling River, Xiaoping River, Liaoha River and Qinglong River (headwater of the Luan River). Some 65% of the area of Chaoyang Municipality is in the upper reaches of the Daling River basin. The extent of the Daling River Basin is shown in Figure 1. The largest urban centre is Chaoyang City located on the Daling River. Chaoyang Municipality is located in a semi-arid area where there are persistent water shortages during drought conditions and long-term conflicts between water supply and water demand. The municipal administration is facing the dual problems of (1) insufficient water resource availability for existing and proposed populations and (2) economic development with decreasing surface water. Both water demand management and drought management are therefore critical issues. In 2008, with support from the Water Resources Demand Management Assistance Project (WRDMAP), the Chaoyang Municipality Water Affairs Bureau (WAB) completed the preparation of an initial Drought Management Plan (DMP) for that portion of the municipality in the Upper Daling River Basin. In October 2008 the Drought Management Plan was approved by the local government. outline described in the accompanying Advisory Note 2.5 Developing a Drought Management Plan Guidance for Water Resources Managers. This example describes the preparation of the Chaoyang Municipality DMP to illustrate the challenges faced by water resource managers tasked with mobilising the resources and getting local buy-in to develop a DMP for their area. 2 Background 2.1 Previous initiatives Liaoning Province had prepared a draft Liaoning Province Draft Anti-Drought Early Warning Scheme in September Although this provincial scheme had not been finalized and promulgated, it provided important guidance to the team in the preparation of the Chaoyang Municipality DMP. Chaoyang Municipal Government previously issued 2001 Implementation Plan of Drought Relief and Water Saving in Chaoyang Municipality on 5th June 2001, and the Drought Relief and Water Saving Headquarters was immediately set up. The main content of the 2001 Implementation Plan consists of guiding ideology, objectives, measures and procedures. This provided a sound foundation for the Chaoyang Municipality DMP. The preparation of the DMP was a staged process that followed the Page 2 of 23

5 Figure 1 Daling River Basin and Chaoyang Municipality boundaries 2.2 WRDMAP case studies WRDMAP is a large cooperation project implemented ( ) by the Ministry of Water Resources with funding from the UK government through its Department for International Development (DFID). The project focused on demand management and integrated water resources management (IWRM) through six case studies carried out at the provincial level in northern China. Two case studies addressed key water resources planning issues on the Upper Daling River in Liaoning Province. Support was provided to the Chaoyang Municipal WAB in the preparation of a Comprehensive (IWRM) Plan and a Drought Management Plan for the Upper Daling River Basin in Chaoyang Municipality. 3 Plan Development Process The aim was to develop a structured and flexible framework for drought management within the municipality area to deal with droughts of different types and changing severity, to reduce potential effects on local communities, economy and environment. Page 3 of 23

6 Figure 2 sets out the process of developing a DMP as used on the preparation of the DMP for Chaoyang Municipality. Under the WRDMAP case study the DMP development was led by the municipal WAB with an emphasis on water resources studies: To develop indices and triggers appropriate to the particular context of the municipality area within the Upper Daling River basin To identify the necessary field monitoring programmes to support analysis of the selected indices to determine on a timely basis whether a trigger level has been passed (decision makers cannot be kept waiting for this information) To identify the necessary data sharing arrangements with others to support analysis of the selected indices to determine on a timely basis whether a trigger level has been passed Studies to assess the potential impacts of alternative drought management measures on available water resources to help develop appropriate actions for implementation at each drought threshold Studies to assess the potential impacts of alternative long term water demand and supply management measures on available water resources - testing scenarios as part of the linked exercise to develop a Comprehensive (IWRM) Plan Studies to assess river water quality impacts of alternative release rules for Yangwangbezi Reservoir to help develop appropriate actions for implementation at each drought threshold that will minimise any adverse impacts on water quality Benefiting from the WRDMAP supported IWRM planning activities, the DMP development studies were able to use both a MikeBasin simulation model of the Upper Daling River basin and a Qual2K water quality model of the main river reaches through the municipality. These modelling tools were used extensively for the preparation of the plan and remain available to be used as tools to aid management during a drought situation. Referring to Figure 2, it can be seen that studies addressing social and economic costs of drought and the effectiveness of alternative mitigation measures tailored to the specific needs of the municipality are typically undertaken as part of the preparation of a DMP. In the case of this initial DMP for Chaoyang Municipality such studies have not been undertaken. It would be expected that such studies would form part of the next iteration of the DMP. The first actions are related to organising committees and working groups and the administrative arrangements fulfilling the requirements of national and provincial drought policy. In Chaoyang Municipality the 2001 Chaoyang document provided the official impetus for the plan preparation, with the established Command Headquarters and contributing organisations. The present document provides an example of how the steps outlined in Figure 2 were completed for Chaoyang Municipality. Page 4 of 23

7 Figure 2 Preparation of a Drought Management Plan (DMP) in China (after WRDMAP) Flood and Drought Management Command Headquarters established with technical office to support and members as required Identify drought issues from historical records Drought Policy Define goals for the Drought Management Plan (DMP) DROUGHT STUDIES Develop indicators and thresholds for drought hazard. Set out procedures for routine assessment of drought status Assess potential socioeconomic impacts and costs vulnerability Identify operational management options for actions at each threshold of drought Identify long term management options to inform the river basin or other water resources plan Including: new sources, new infrastructure, demand control measures Identify monitoring needed to support status assessment for chosen indicators Set up data exchange and routine bulletin preparation River basin planning Identify who will do what and when Roles, responsibilities, and time schedule for involvement for each drought threshold Prepare the Drought Management Plan Official approval of the DMP Continuously operate agreed monitoring and declare drought when necessary Page 5 of 23

8 4 Contents of the Chaoyang Municipality Drought Management Plan Table 1 lists the contents of the final approved Chaoyang Municipality DMP. The full document may be obtained from the Chaoyang Municipal Government. This example concentrates on the process of developing the final approved Plan. 4.1 Chapter 1 This chapter sets out the Statement of Purpose for the Drought Management Plan as follows. Drought is a most serious and frequent natural disaster in Chaoyang. The preparation of the Drought Management Plan for Chaoyang Municipality (DMP) aims to develop a structured and flexible framework of drought management to deal with droughts of different types and changing severity, to reduce potential effects on local communities, economy and environment. The goals of DMP for Chaoyang Municipality are as follows: Reduce the impacts of drought disaster through building awareness of drought management and undertaking effective measures to deal with droughts Structure the framework of drought management organisation for drought risk management, improve the cooperation and coordination between government drought management departments at all levels Set out a system of monitoring and reporting to identify and track the onset, progress and recovery from droughts Provide more information for drought management through drought prediction with appropriate new methods Set out specified drought management plan and measures targeted on different water users to make a sure of equal/effective/ sustainable water use during drought conditions Pay more attention to the environment during drought conditions Consult with stakeholders in solving the conflict of water use to ensure fairness in water use Build public awareness of drought management and water saving, encourage the general public to take steps to reduce the potential impact of drought The chapter also describes the geographical area that the DMP covers (see Figure 1). Page 6 of 23

9 Table 1 Contents list of the Chaoyang Municipality Drought Management Plan Chapters and Appendices Executive Summary 1 Goals and Purposes of the Drought Management Plan 2 Drought Management in the Upper Daling River Basin 2.1 River Basin Information 2.2 Water Resources 2.3 Main Water Users 2.4 Water Abstraction Permits 2.5 Major Drought Issues General Issues Issues to be Addressed by Drought Management 3. Organisation Arrangements and Co-ordination 3.1 Introduction 3.2 Organisational Structures and Responsibilities Chaoyang Municipality Flood and Drought Management Command Headquarters Command Headquarters Administrative Office Drought Management Team under CHO 3.3 Administrative Procedures Basic Administrative Procedures in Drought Management Procedures to Update, Review, Approve DMP Procedure to Set Out Drought Management Action Plan Administrative Procedure under Drought Conditions 3.4 Resourcing The need for Extra Resources Appointment of Consultants Financial Resources 4 Drought Monitoring and Forecasting 4.1 Introduction 4.2 Drought Monitoring Rain Gauges River Gauges Groundwater Monitoring Soil Moisture Monitoring Evaporation Monitoring River Water Quality Monitoring Drought Monitoring by Water Users 4.3 Drought Forecasting Rainfall Forecasting Water Resources and Water Deficit Forecasting in Dry Season River Water Quality Forecasting Page 7 of 23

10 Chapters and Appendices (continued) 5 Drought Severity Indices and Triggers 5.1 Introduction 5.2 Analysis of Drought Severity Indices 5.3 Classification of Drought Severity Indices 6 Upper Daling River Basin Drought Triggers and Actions 6.1 Introduction 6.2 Drought Management Actions during Normal Conditions 6.3 Actions and Triggers during Slight Drought Conditions 6.4 Actions and Triggers during Moderate Drought Conditions 6.5 Actions and Triggers during Severe Drought Conditions 6.6 Actions and Triggers during Extreme Drought Conditions 7 Emergency Limitations to Water Abstraction Permits 7.1 Introduction 7.2 Principles of Emergency Limitations and Priorities to Water Uses 7.3 Principles to List Priorities of Different Categories of Water Users and Emergency Water Limit 7.4 Abstraction Scenario Analysis and Emergency Limitations 8 Communication Plan 8.1 Introduction 8.2 External Communications Objectives Audiences Information Messages for Communication Communication Approaches and Activities 8.3 Internal Communications Objectives Audiences Communication Information Communication Activities and Approaches Appendix A Appendix B Appendix C Appendix D Appendix E Appendix F Appendix G Appendix H Appendix I Maps Rainfall Data Historical Drought Conditions in Chaoyang Municipality Summary of Estimated Water Use in the Upper Daling River Basin Drought-Related Monitoring Sites Key Water Users and Water Use Data Water Affairs Bureau Drought Management Team Flood and Drought Management Headquarters, Shenyang Analysis for Drought Classification Page 8 of 23

11 4.2 Chapter This chapter sets the scene giving in brief an overview of the water resources of the Upper Daling River Basin, the main uses of water and the proportion of the available resource taken by each group. Annual Rainfall (mm) Irrigation Urban Rural (inc animals) Annual rainfall variability 4.3 Chapter 3 Industry Water use in Upper Daling Runoff predominantly occurs in the July to September period and hence to increase the proportion of the runoff that can be used for economic purposes, storage has been seen to be a necessity. However, the reservoirs in Chaoyang Municipality provide only a limited capacity to regulate flows and offset drought conditions. The major new Baishi reservoir located at the downstream boundary of the municipality is only of limited relevance in general water resources planning for the municipality, but may play a role in extreme drought situations as a contingency for emergencies. Any trends in water availability and water use are described. In Chaoyang Municipality the natural variability of rainfall is pronounced and consecutive drought years are relatively common. Between 1970 and 2005 overall water consumption almost doubled, hence there is a worsening situation in years of low rainfall. A history of droughts and their impacts on the population and economy is given in an appendix to the DMP (see Table 1). This chapter describes the institutional framework for water resources management, identifying all stakeholders and their responsibilities for water management, and in particular for drought management. It describes the organisational framework for both drought planning, and for implementation of activities envisaged under the plan once a drought has been declared. The organisational structure for Chaoyang Municipality is illustrated in Figure 3. The top level structure, the Chaoyang Municipality Flood and Drought Relief Control Headquarters (referred to in the DMP as the CH ), is chaired by the Mayor. In addition to the roles listed out for this structure in Figure 3 a further 22 organisations are designated as members. The large number of institutional stakeholders involved in drought preparedness and drought relief is to be expected given the many socio-economic consequences of severe drought conditions. Figure 3 illustrates the hierarchy of management with a separate CH structure in each of the 7 counties under the municipal DMP. Page 9 of 23

12 Figure 3 Chaoyang Municipality drought management organisational chart Liaoning Provincial Flood and Drought Management Command Headquarters Chaoyang Flood and Drought Management Command Headquarters (CH) General Director - Mayor Deputy Directors - Exec. Vice Mayor Vice Mayor with Role of Drought Mgmt Director of WAB Chaoyang Flood and Drought Management Command Headquarters Administrative Office (CHO) Director - Vice Mayor with Role of Drought Mgmt Exec. Deputy Director - Director of WAB Deputy Directors - Director of Rural Affairs and Econ Dev Com Director of Civil Affairs Admin Bureau Director of Public Affairs Bureau WAB Deputy Director with WRM Resp. Longcheng District CH Shuangta Distrrict CH Beipiao County CH Chaoyang County CH Kazou County CH Jianping County CH Lingyuan County CH Drought Information Dissemination Team Drought Management Implementation and Drought Damage Assessment Team Drought Risk Assessment Team Drought Specialist Team Water Affairs Bureau Drought Management Team In the DMP the agreed roles and responsibilities of every organisation are explicitly listed out. As an example, Table 2 illustrates the agreed role for the Civil Administrative Bureau as a member of the Chaoyang Municipality Control Headquarters the CH. Of particular interest is the designation of a Drought Management Team within the Chaoyang Municipality WAB to support the CH. The responsibilities of this Team are given in Table 3. This chapter also sets out administrative procedures for drought management which can be summarised in a flow chart (Figure 4). Table 2 Example of agreed roles Member Role and Responsibilities Civil Taking responsibility for Administrative drought relief. Bureau (including Reviewing and reporting the Poverty information on drought Alleviation damages; applying and Office) allocating material for drought relief; organizing/ receiving/ allocating donations for drought relief; examining/supervising the use of materials for drought relief; Providing a direction to drought relief in terms of agricultural rehabilitation Page 10 of 23

13 Table 3 Role of the Chaoyang Municipality Water Affairs Bureau Drought Management Team Sub-Teams List Of Members In Sub-Teams Role Drought Specialist Team (DST) Drought Risk Assessment Team (DRA) Drought Management Implementation and Drought Damage Assessment Team (DMI) Drought Information Dissemination Team (DID) Leader: Senior water resources management specialist; Member: Senior hydrologist Senior urban water supply specialist Senior industrial water use specialist Senior agricultural water use specialist Senior water pollution management specialist Senior environmental specialist Leader: Director of water resources management office Assistants of leader: Director of Hydrology Bureau Director of Meteorology Bureau Director of Environment Monitoring Station Member: Senior weather forecasting specialist Senior surface water management specialist Senior groundwater management specialist Senior water environment management specialist Leader: Vice mayor with responsibilities related to drought management Members: Leaders or managers from organizations under CH Leader: Director from Broadcasting and TV Administrative Bureau Members: Directors or managers from all medias in Chaoyang Review and assessment of reports/information provided by each General Member organizations; Provide the Drought Management Headquarter support to decision-making on drought management Undertaking long-term monitoring, assessment, warning, forecasting on drought risk Provide Drought Management Command Headquarter and relevant organization information of drought risk; Set out Drought Management Implementing Plans, including Emergency Restriction Plan to limit water abstraction Coordinating and supervising the implementation of drought management decisions; Providing resolutions to water use conflict during drought Disseminating of information on drought risk, drought risk response/ management, drought damage assessment, drought mitigation and relief. Monthly reports to public. Page 11 of 23

14 Figure 4 Chaoyang Municipality DMP: Framework of administrative procedures Set out DMP, procedure to approve DMP Drought monitoring and forecasting continually Monthly provide drought information to CH and general public Drought Risk Assessment No drought Slight/moderate Drought Assess agricultural drought, water use condition in rural communities, set out or adjust drought management Action Plan. Severe/extreme drought Assess and forecast socio-economic drought condition, calculate the water deficits by Mike Basin Model, set out or adjust drought management Action Plan Hold CHO meeting, or CH meeting as required, discuss drought management implementing plans and finalize the decisions Hold CH meeting to discuss drought management Action Plan and finalize the decisions Introduce drought condition to all drought management organizations and relevant stakeholders, issue Action Plan, submit the plans to CH at above level, and publish the plans Exercise Drought Management Action Plan Verifying plans Assess drought risks Not Verifying plans and implementation of drought management action plan Stop the exercise of plans End up and summarize the exercise of drought management Action Plan Modify DMP annually, and its review and approval Fully update and review DMP in every 3 years Framework of Administrative Procedures for Drought Management Page 12 of 23

15 4.4 Chapter 4 This chapter in the DMP deals with monitoring and forecasting: largely monitoring of rainfall and water resources (climate data, river flow, groundwater level, soil moisture status, water quality status), but also monitoring of water use and reservoir storage. Current monitoring is described and maps showing the monitoring networks are included in an appendix to the DMP (see Table 1). Gaps and/or weaknesses are identified and measures to tackle them put forward. This includes recommendations for additions to the existing systems used to trigger actions, such as installing more soil moisture sites; and recommendations for the introduction new monitoring, such as formal ecological monitoring focused on delivering the necessary information for planning and implementing the DMP. These recommendations are noted as for longer term action. In particular this chapter sets out details of extra or new monitoring that will be required immediately once a drought situation is declared. This mainly relates to increased frequency of reporting so that more information is available for decision making. The chapter also describes forecasting services required to support the DMP. 4.5 Chapter 5 This chapter sets out the chosen indices and trigger levels (thresholds) that will govern the operation of the DMP. This is a critical part of the DMP and needs to be set out in detail so that it is clearly understandable to non technical stakeholders who will be involved in implementing the plan once a drought strikes. Five states are identified using the standard classification: Normal conditions (no drought) IV - Slight drought III - Moderate drought II - Severe drought I - Extreme drought The technical development of the trigger levels for a DMP is of such importance to water resources managers that the process used for the Chaoyang Municipality DMP is further discussed in Section 6 below. 4.6 Chapter 6 Chapter 6 of the DMP sets out what activities are required, and at what time, when each threshold is reached, ie the activities associated with each of the four drought states (slight to extreme). Most importantly, Chapter 6 also sets out what will be undertaken at times when there is no immediate drought problem. Table 4 illustrates the requirements during periods when there is no drought situation. As each successive threshold or trigger level is crossed (as drought conditions worsen) the list of required actions is extended with changes in timelines and the active involvement of more stakeholders. Figure 5 shows the build up of activities as the drought situation grows more serious. Page 13 of 23

16 Table 4 Chaoyang Municipality DMP: drought management actions during normal conditions (ie no drought in progress) Actions Schedule Key Group Drought monitoring specified in Chapter 4 of the DMP All times DRA Regular Drought forecasts Specified in Chapter 4 DRA of the DMP Publish monthly situation reports Monthly CHO Prepare for drought Be ready at any time CHO Review the situation of water supply infrastructures, water abstraction permit, water consumption January and February DRA Confirm links with key water users January and February DRA Update abstraction and discharge databases and scenario tables January and February DRA Review and update the DMP and draw lessons learned February (March for a full update - undertaken every three years) CHO Hold annual drought management meeting February and March CH, CHO Drill on drought management (review the historical drought condition to make a preparation for drought management and find out the problems of DMP implementation) April CHO Develop training and capacity building on drought management As needed CHO Develop training on water saving for different sectors. To be determined CHO Note: DRA is Drought Risk Assessment Team within Chaoyang Municipality WAB; CH and CHO as previously defined. Page 14 of 23

17 Figure 5 Hierarchy of Actions from the Chaoyang Municipality DMP Drought Management Actions Drought Severity Class IV III II I Information to support decision making Drought monitoring specified in Section 4 Additional monitoring during drought to guide mitigation measures Regular drought forecasts More frequent forecasts during drought to guide mitigation measures Publish monthly situation reports Additional reporting during drought to guide mitigation measures Situation analysis to support decision making Review the situation of water supply infrastructures, water abstraction permit, water consumption Undertake water deficit analysis and scenarios analysis to emergency limit to water abstraction permit for all 30 individual units / sub-catchments in Chaoyang of Upper Daling Basin by Mike Basin Model; Normal Slight Moderate Severe Extreme Long term measures to increase society's resilience to drought Adopt water tariff policy (progressive water price) in order to reduce water demand; Strengthen water metering management Strengthen regulation of waste water treatment management; Drill on drought management (review the historical drought condition to make a preparation for drought management and find out the problems of DMP implementation) Develop training events and capacity building on drought management. Develop training events on water saving for different sectors. Build awareness of water saving in households by dissemination and promotion of water saving; Public awareness of drought severity and actions that they should take as individuals Build awareness of water saving in households by dissemination and promotion of water saving; Assistance to agricultural water users (especially rainfed agriculture) Forecasts targeting agricultural users Provide local farmers information related to existing/potential price of crops by agricultural economist, particularly providing the price of drought resistant crops and products; Provide local farmers trainings related to planting crops techniques with high economic value during drought condition by agricultural specialists or experienced local farmers; Produce TV programmes to show drought resistant crops or how to plant these crops by agricultural specialists, agricultural economists, local experienced farmers (or by other medias); Advice water saving irrigation to local farmers or irrigation management staff in villages by staff from Hydraulic Stations at townships; Assistance to industrial, commercial and institutional water users Improve water saving in governmental organizations, industrial enterprises, undertaking units, for example, running automatically-flushing toilet cisterns at times when buildings are unoccupied; Measures to reduce agricultural water use during the drought Set out water saving irrigation norms in drought condition in order to limit water irrigation to crops with high water consumption. Supervise water saving irrigation in drought condition by irrigation management organizations at all levels; Maintain and keep logs and filings related to irrigated water volume in drought condition, and examine their compliance. Under existing irrigated water metering, it requires to provide detailed records of irrigation from groundwater (such as the Measures to reduce industrial, commercial and urban domestic water use during drought Supervise units/individuals compliance with the emergency limit to water abstraction permits and the controls to waste water discharge; Undertake strictly emergency limit to water abstraction permit to ensure urban/rural domestic water supply and important economic sectors water use by limit water uses in low priorities; Reduce water supply hours in order to reduce amount of water supply; Emergency measures to mitigate drought impacts on vulnerable communities Supply water for basic needs of local farmers and livestock, who suffer from water shortage Undertake emergency measures by WSCs in order to provide water to hospitals and schools; Undertake effective emergency measures to deal with domestic water shortage in some cities; Page 15 of 23

18 As an observation, the recommended actions in the Chaoyang Municipality DMP at this stage do not make sufficient distinction between long term activities, related to strengthening the Water Saving Society initiative (which should be undertaken regardless of drought status), and management actions to mitigate the immediate problems for water users during a drought. Confusing measures with a long term benefit in terms of resilience to drought with measures that can be brought into play on a temporary basis during a drought event is a relatively common misconception. An action such as tariff design should be part of long term water demand management; if the tariff design included a punitive tariff on a non-essential water use for temporary implementation in droughts then an action at class III drought condition to activate this special tariff would be appropriate under the DMP. This weakness in the initial Chaoyang Municipality DMP can be rectified when the DMP is next revised. 4.7 Chapter 7 This chapter of the DMP deals with permits and other means of control available to the water resources managers to constrain demand and protect vulnerable users (including the environment). For Chaoyang Municipality in severe/extreme drought conditions emergency limits will be applied to water abstraction permits in order to reduce water demand. Emergency limits should be initially undertaken by lower priorities of water users; water use priorities have been agreed as in Table 5. Table 5 Supply priorities Priority Description Top Domestic water use for basic needs (urban and rural), hospitals, schools, livestock Minimum flows for the environment and basic needs for downstream water users Pillar industries eg power stations Irrigation for vegetable crops Normal industry Non-essential or luxury water use Supplementary irrigation of field crops Bottom Iron ore and other mining needing large quantities of water and discharging polluted waste water The DMP places water supply companies (WSCs) in the top priority of water use in order to secure the supply of water for urban domestic needs. Mining industries in the area are given the bottom priority, therefore their abstraction permits will be cut back first. The amount and timing of cut backs in permitted abstraction for each user type will be determined by the Drought Management Implementation and Drought Damage Assessment Team (see Table 3) supported by water resources modelling undertaken by the Drought Risk Assessment Team. 4.8 Chapter 8 This chapter deals with the very important topic of communications both internally among the organisations that are members of the CH, and externally with the general public and holders of abstraction permits. It is very important that messages promoting the long term objectives of demand management (Water Saving Page 16 of 23

19 Society) are not confused with messages about drought response. Rural communities are particularly vulnerable to drought and the Chaoyang Municipality DMP stresses the importance of providing them with appropriate advice, including forecasts and details of the Drought Management Action Plan, so that they are better prepared. It also addresses the vital internal coordination between the agencies responsible for implementing key activities under the plan. Box 1 Emergency limitation on abstractions State Council Decree No. 460 Regulation for Water Abstraction Permit and Collection and Management of Water Resources Fee states the following: Article 41: In any of the following cases the competent authority may put limitation to the amount of water abstraction by a water abstraction unit or individual: 1. Water resources are inadequate to sustain the normal water supply in the area due to natural conditions; 2. Water abstraction or discharge has created significant impacts on the functions, ecology and environment of water bodies in a water function zone; 3. Groundwater over-abstraction is serious or geological hazards such as land subsidence have been induced by groundwater over-abstraction; 4. Any other special cases needing limitation to water abstraction amount. If a major drought occurs, the competent authority may implement emergency limitation to the amount of water abstraction by units and individuals. 4.9 Appendices The DMP main text is deliberately brief and focused on being understandable to a wide audience. The appendices therefore have a key part to play in presenting the detailed technical information such as how drought severity indices were assessed so that the overall DMP is a complete record of agreed principles and planned actions (see Table 1). 5 Timeline Under the auspices of the WRDMAP Case Study the first tentative activities (information gathering) began in September The main phase of DMP preparation started in September 2007 and lasted for 10 months. Stakeholders were consulted / informed at two workshops held in March 2008 and July The Case Study team held a number of internal workshops to develop the approach, discuss information, plan activities, and feedback on progress to the WRDMAP international and government management teams. As noted in Section 1, the exercise resulted in approval of the initial DMP. However, the DMP for Chaoyang Municipality should be seen as a work in progress, in part because all such plans should be frequently reviewed and adjusted where necessary; but also because the planning exercise was somewhat limited in scope. 6 Agreeing Indices and Triggers The Chaoyang Municipality DMP has been based on three indices: a rainfall based index the SPI, a groundwater level index, and the Relative Water Page 17 of 23

20 Content in Soil as shown in Table 7. The table shows the thresholds or trigger conditions for each index in the final column. The Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) was developed in the USA to quantify the precipitation deficit for multiple time scales. These time scales reflect the impact of drought on the availability of the different water resources. Soil moisture conditions respond to precipitation anomalies on a relatively short scale. Groundwater, stream flow, and reservoir storage reflect the longer-term rainfall anomalies. The SPI calculation for any location is based on the long-term precipitation record for a desired period, eg SPI(24) for 24-months, SPI(18) for 18-months etc. The China Meteorological Service uses SPI and publishes daily maps of this index for the whole country on their web site. Table 6 SPI trigger values for China SPI value for chosen period -2 and less Extreme Drought -1.5 to Severe Drought -1.0 to Moderate Drought -0.5 to Slight Drought No drought Table 7 Triggers for Drought Action for Chaoyang Municipality Drought Management Plan Drought magnitude Drought intensity Colours to present drought intensity Negative Impacts Drought indices I Extreme drought Red Socio-economic development in extreme water shortage, some of cities have a lot of stress to access to domestic water supply Composite SPIs for the latest 12, 24 and 36-month periods < -1.0 Average depth to groundwater is increased to 7.6 m II Severe drought Orange Water shortage to socioeconomic development, it is difficult for people and livestock in remote rural areas to access to drinking water -1.0 Composite SPIs for the latest 12, 24 and 36-month periods < -0.5; Average depth to groundwater is increased to 7.0 m III Moderate drought Yellow Water shortage to some of irrigated agriculture, and rainfed agriculture has a severe water shortage During the crop growth period, the SPI for the latest 6-month period < -1.0; Relative soil moisture (R) that is 10cm to 20cm below the soil surface 50% During the crop growth period, -1.0 SPI for the latest 1-month period < -0.5; 50% < R that is 10cm to 20cm below the soil surface 60% IV Slight drought Blue Water shortage to rain-fed agriculture Notes: 1) Composite SPI = SPI (12) * SPI (24) * SPI (36) * 0.1 2) Groundwater depth averaged over 19 observation boreholes 3) R (10-20cm) calculated following standard guidance Meteorological Drought Classification GB/T Page 18 of 23

21 A sample calculation for 1980 is shown in Table 8. The SPI index is widely used internationally and software for its calculation is freely available on the internet, for example at am/spi_program.htm. Guidance is available in a document in this series; see Manual 2.5 Using the Standardised Precipitation Index (SPI) to Assess Drought Condition. The groundwater level index is based on 19 observation wells at present. Recommendations are made in the DMP to increase this number and to improve the spread of locations to provide a more representative sample. The relative moisture content of soil R is calculated following standard guidance in Meteorological Drought Classification GB/T The data to calculate the index is obtained from the 9-station soil moisture monitoring network. Table 8 Sample of drought assessment for Chaoyang Municipal DMP by the SPI Method Drought Classification by the SPI Method Year 1980 Month Rainfall (mm) SPI - This Month SPI (3) - 3 Months SPI (6) - 6 Months SPI (12) - 12 Months SPI (24) - 24 Months SPI (36) - 36 Months Combined SPI = SPI (12) *0.6+SPI (24) *0.3+SPI (36) * Drought Severity Class IV III II II I I I I Note: Colour coding as described in Table 7, column 3. Since this is the first DMP for Chaoyang Municipality it has been advised that the chosen trigger values for both the SPI and groundwater indices should be reviewed after a period of operation. If they are found not to have performed as well as hoped then adjustments should be made to try to make the system of triggers more appropriate to the local conditions. Such a process of progressive adjustment to improve performance is common in modern management practices and is referred to as adaptive management. 7 Lessons Learnt from WRDMAP Case Study In supporting the WAB in this drought planning effort a number of issues related to institutional aspects, the use of hydrological indicators to trigger drought mitigation measures, vulnerability assessments for different sectors, and operational management before, during and after a drought, have been noted and are summarised in Table 9. Page 19 of 23

22 Table 9 Aspects coming from WRDMAP case study experience supporting the Chaoyang Municipality WAB in preparing the DMP Aspect How Common How Important Means to resolve General Difficulty of developing a Plan under project conditions with defined timeframe. Institutional Development of a plan principally by a WAB tends to have water and hydrology as a principal focus. Difficulty in undertaking stakeholder consultation and participation across sectors Obtaining release of individuals from different sectors to actively participate in a working group is an issue. The problem exists of the power of representatives of a working group to make decisions. Although large numbers of stakeholders are often included in lists associated with Task Forces, Steering Groups, Leading Groups and the like, there is often less involvement than is implied. There is the tendency to stop thinking about drought once a DMP is approved and not act again until there is a drought. Information dissemination needs improvement. All stakeholders need to be told of the implications of a drought on the various sectors (see Vulnerability Assessments below) and what is expected of each Rare Very Provinces should undertake as part of normal activities. DMP are required by the Law. (Water Law, 2002,and Terms of Reference for Drought Relief Plan Formulation 2006) Average (?) Very DMP needs to be driven by the Mayor s Office or the DRC Office Average Very Same. Very Average Same Very Average Same Very Very Ensure there is a main core team that has mandatory regular reporting duties that extend from extreme drought situations to no-drought situation. Establish small working groups by sector. Ensure activities of all are reported on regularly by the core team. Average (?) Very Establish the core team with a specified, official, mandate. Very Average (?) The Core team should prepare dissemination material. A communication working group needs to be established with communications routes agreed and set-up for different messages stakeholder during different drought conditions. Tendency to consider only one s own area Very Average Drought Management Plans, Drought Monitoring Data and Drought Reports should all be freely available to adjoining and nearby municipalities. Performance of Drought Management, is it good or not? Average (?) Very The Core team should set service delivery standards Page 20 of 23

23 Aspect Indicators Use of SPI This was seen as a good innovation and is supported by Classification of meteorological Drought Category China meteorological Bureau, November (too much reliance) Use of Water Resources Simulation Model as a basis for declaring droughts and responses to droughts. This is seen as placing too much emphasis in a simulation model. Use of groundwater observation well data will probably only define drought conditions in a limited area and could be misleading if applied to a large municipality or river basin area. How Common How Important Means to resolve during drought responses. These should be monitored and reported upon after a drought. Improvements should then be put in place Average Average Needs to have simple explanation for non-hydrologists. Needs to be understood in the context of other indicators. Rare Very It should be emphasised that water resources simulation models should only be one of many possible tools to determine drought conditions. Average Average Ensure groundwater observation well system is mapped and extent of relevance of the indicator explain. Statistics and Risk assessments insufficiently covered. Average Average More information needs to be presented in relation to the levels of risk of particular drought events and the risks associated with different areas and different sectors. Drought monitoring is primarily seen as hydrological Very Average Drought monitoring should include feedback from agricultural research stations Drought monitoring is primarily seen as hydrological and warning based Very Average Drought monitoring should cover the impact of drought on the various sectors and how long it takes for recovery. Duration is a key factor in all situations. (Standard damage assessment forms should be used and included in a DMP) Drought monitoring reporting can become sporadic Very Very Establish the core team with a specified, official, mandate that includes a requirement to co-ordinate and report on drought monitoring on a specified regularity Information tends to be tabulated Very Average Increase use of graphs and GIS Vulnerability Assessments Page 21 of 23

24 Aspect The concept of vulnerability assessments for different sectors: Agriculture and Livestock Irrigated Agriculture Drinking water and health Industry and Commerce Environment (wildlife & wildfire (?)) Energy (hydropower) was difficult to establish. Each should have a working group assessing potential sector impacts and the costs thereof as well as undertaking post drought impact assessments. Cost impacts of drought are important. Dissemination of information on the vulnerability assessments is seldom undertaken. How Common How Important Means to resolve Very Very Undertaking a trial programme of vulnerability assessments should be undertaken. However, this needs to be sectorally driven with an agreed structured approach. Very Average A task for the Core team and the Communication Working Group defined above. Information tends to be tabulated Very Average Increase use of graphs and GIS Operational Management Environmental conditions and environmental flows. Even though these aspects are classified as very important in policy terms in practice there was no clear direction as to how this importance could be addressed. in each Drought Event Report. Tendency to define in Drought Management Plans phrases such as : undertake effective emergency measures supervise water saving in. strengthen regulation of. All these statements ask the questions what, how, when, by who at what cost Drought responses, mitigation activities or interventions need to be assigned, if possible to different drought triggers. Very Very All organisations preparing a drought plan should reflect the importance of the environment and be quite specific as to the manner by which it is to be dealt with during a drought. The aspect should be well reported Very Average Be more specific and if it is not possible to be specific, the Plan should describe how the specifics are going to be worked out, by who and when. Average Very Again, there is a need to be more specific or to explain how the specifics are to be determined. Page 22 of 23