Uniform water management system stressed
By Qin Chuan (China Daily)
Updated: 2004-03-05 23:57

A leading international water expert says that China's water management needs to be conducted in a more uniform way in order to ensure more effective use of the precious resource.

"What countries have to do if they really want to tackle their water problems is they have to integrate policy under one particular ministry for water,'' said Michael Rouse, president of the UK-based International Water Association.

That is because there are so many aspects which need to be brought together, such as water resource problems, water pollution and drinking water requirements, Rouse said.

In China, water-related issues are dealt with by a number of ministries, resulting in ineffective management of water resources because each ministry has its own perspective, said water expert James Z Gao.

For example, underground water is managed by the Ministry of Land and Resources, while water quality is under the Ministry of Health and water pollution is tackled by the State Environmental Protection Administration.

Under such circumstances, even research on water-related issues is divided, Gao said.

Rouse said he was pleased to see that water bureaux were being established in some Chinese cities.

In a government work report issued recently at the second meeting of the 12th Beijing People's Congress, the capital will establish a water management department to address the city's water shortage problem.

Strict measures will be taken to use water resources more rationally and protect drinking water sources, the report said.

Water resources in China are currently being overused. For example, 60 per cent of the Huaihe River's water, 65 per cent of the Liaohe River's water and 62 per cent of the Yellow River's water are being used and the rate for the Haihe River is as high as 90 per cent.

All of the rivers are key ones in the country. It is agreed internationally that 30 to 40 per cent is a warning level for water resource use.

Nearly 60 per cent of the nation's 669 cities lack adequate water supplies, and 110 of them are suffering from serious water shortages.

The International Water Association, founded in 1947, gathers water experts from more than 120 countries and aims to enhance exchanges of ideas and experience on water-related issues.

It holds its international congress every two years, with Beijing hosting the 2006 meeting.

Rouse said the congress in Beijing will be a chance for water experts from around the world to come to China and for China to showcase its water-related achievements.

Both Rouse and Gao are international advisers to a project to establish drinking water quality regulations in China. The project is jointly sponsored by the United Nations Development Programme and China's Ministry of Construction.

He said the regulations will determine how drinking water quality is managed and checked by independent inspection.

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