Groundwater Crisis and Governance in China With Perspec,ves from the North China Plain Jie Liu 1, Chunmiao Zheng 1,2 1. Center for Water Research, Peking University 2. InternaConal Commission on Groundwater, IAHS
Water: China s Greatest Crisis? China s State Council (Cabinet) warned in 2007 that by 2030 China s water use will reach or approach the total volume of exploitable water resources. China is expected to use 700-800 billion m 3 water per year by 2030, out of an estimated total of 800-900 billion m 3 available. Premier Wen Jiabao
NORTH Land: 62% Water Resource: 19% Groundwater Resource: 30% PopulaCon: 47% China, A Tale of Two Halves S SOUTH Land: 38% Water Resource: 81% Groundwater Resource: 70% PopulaCon: 53% Source: MWR N Water Per Capita
Comparison of Exploitable Water Resources Per Capita Amount in m 3 10000 8000 6000 4000 2000 0 Ranked ~120 th globally 2200 350 8200 7600 China North China Plain USA World Sources: Gleick (2003) & Shiklomanov (1997)
Percentage of GW in Total Water Supplies >80; 50-80; 30-50; <30
Scarcity and PolluCon: Double Whammy Over 400 out of 660 cities experiencing water shortage (110 cities severe); 90% of aquifers experiencing various degrees of contamination 100- year Drought in SW China in 2010 Wastewater Discharge to Yangtze River Tributary 2008
Where Have Rivers Gone? Disappearing Wetlands Wastewater Discharge
Max depth to water 62 m 112 m Cones of Depression Source: China Geological Survey (2008)
Groundwater Quality Shallow aquifer Deeper aquifer Category-2 water Category 3 Category 4: mainly agricultural Category 5: not for drinking Poor quality 58% of 243 samples Source: China Geological Survey (2008) 100 km
Land Subsidence Max cumulative amount: ~3.25 m Areas subsiding 200+mm: 60,000 km 2 Areas below sea level: 118,000 km 2 Estimated economic loss: 330 billion RMB Beijing Tianjin Source: China Geological Survey (2008)
2030 ProjecCons (2030 Water Resources Group, 2009)
Coping with Water Scarcity Engineering and Technological Approaches Water- saving technologies Water- treatment and re- use technologies (including desalination) Monitoring, measuring and sensing technologies Water transfer (the South- to- North Water Transfer Project) Non- technical soft Approaches Social- economic considerations Political and institutional systems More innovative, out- of- box approaches?
Before 1988 1988-19 98 After 1998 No systematic groundwater management structure Interim Regulations on Mineral Resources Protection (1956) First comprehensive national Water Law (1988) Regulations on Water Pollution Prevention and Control Historical at Drinking Water development Source Protection of Area GW (1989) Regulations on Urban Groundwater Development and Management Governance (1993) in China Mineral Resources Law (amended in 1986) Rules for the Implementation of the Mineral Resources Law (1994) Urban groundwater management under the MC Groundwater investigations under the MGMR (now MLR) Groundwater quality management under the MEP Administrative management functions on groundwater resources of both the MC and the MGMR (now MLR) moved to the MWR The 2002 amended Water Law further strengthened MWR s administrative power over GW, and called for integrated water management
Laws Regulations Standards National Level Local Level The Water Law (2002) The Water Pollution Prevention and Control Law (2008) The Mineral Resources Law (1986) The regulations on water withdrawal permit and water resources fee charging (2006) The regulations on urban groundwater development and management (1993) The rules for the implementation of the Water Pollution Prevention and Control Law (2000) The regulations on water pollution prevention and control at drinking water source protection area (1989) The rules for the implementation of the Mineral Resources Law (1994) 14 national standards 14 sectoral standards More than 50 regulations and rules at provincial and municipal levels
Legislation NaConal People s Congress (NPC) Water PolluCon PrevenCon & Control Law (WPPC, 1996, 2008) Water Law (2002) Mineral Resources Law (1986) Administration The State Council Centre MEP MWR MLR Province Municipality County Township RBOs Pv. EPBs Pv. WRBs Pv. DLR Yangtze Mn. EPBs Mn. WRBs Yellow Huaihe Mn. LRBs Haihe County EPBs County WRBs Pearl R. County Songliao LRBs Taihu
Discussion and Recommendations n Any solution for resolving water crisis requires comprehensive consideration of hydrologic, social, economic, political, and institutional factors n Institutional reforms are needed to straighten out the relationships between/among: Ø national and local governments Ø different ministries with water-related jurisdiction Ø basin- and locality-based management approaches n National water related monitoring networks should be constructed with improved metering n Data publishing and information sharing should be greatly promoted.