Alternative Solutions to the Water Demand of Northern China

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Contributed by: Samuel Hsiao

Contributor Perspective(s): Academic, Observer
Article last edited 01 Aug 2013 by Amanda
Article originally added by Hsiao

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This article is linked to Water Quality Control of the South-to-North Water Diversion (SNWD) Middle Route Project (MRP)

Chansheng He et al. (2012) points out the shifting trend of many countries, such as the United States, which have changed their focus from the development of new large water transfer schemes to conservative use of limited water supplies through reallocation and efficiency improvements. Due to the history of and continued water demand by the northern China plain, they suggest the government of China should “continue to actively implement and enforce its demand management programs nationwide to improve water conservation and to maximize net benefits of water uses through water transfers between rural and urban users.”

Others, such as Ruth Mathews (Executive Director, Water Footprint Network) recognize the political reasons for high agriculture development in water scarce of northern China. Matthews suggests redistribution of land use and study of the water footprint of China, to understand how water is used within the country.

Even those who are supportive to the diversion project recognize the need to address current and future water management challenges. Xia Jun, President of the International Water Resources Association and head of the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Water Resources Centre, points out several changes including unifying water management and bringing in overall planning for resource usage, energy development and the environment, creating a rational management system for river basins that is both unified and responsive to climate change, all of which , according to his words, should be considered along with the water diversion project.

Lacking a comprehensive environmental effect analysis, the whole SNWDP has been defined as “a principal means for reallocating China's unevenly distributed water resources, designed to solve water shortage problems in the northern metropolitan areas, where water demands exceed the capacity of local resources. Therefore, the goal of the projects is mainly to supply water to urban areas and industry. Farm irrigation and environmental improvement are secondary considerations.” To solve the water demand problem, many scholars still emphasize on long term demand management.

Implementation such as institutional approaches and water saving technology, water pricing, water market, conservation, and efficiency improvement are suggesting China to take a more active role to reduce its water footprint and to cooperate on the use of international rivers. Such approaches like Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) has been brought up by scholars, addressed to be the alternatives to further maintain China’s water sustainability.