Guiding Thinking and Key Tasks of Major Water Conservation and Supply Projects Construction

Department of Planning and Programming of the Ministry of Water Resources

Major water projects play an irreplaceable and fundamental role in guaranteeing national water security, which is due to China's special geographical, climate logical and environmental condition, as well as the basic conditions of the nation and the water sector. To accelerate the decision-making process and deployment of the development of major water saving and supply projects, it is the one of the principal measures Chinese government has taken for stabilizing growth, promoting reform, adjusting structure and benefiting people's livelihood, as well as another tremendous opportunity to speed up the water sector development in the new historical context.

1 Guiding Thinking of Construction of Major Water Projects

The development of major water projects should be based on the water-governing thinking of "Chinese government has put forward the guiding principle of prioritizing water conservation, upholds the principle of balancing population growth, economic development, resources and the environment, adheres to the systematic philosophy that mountains, waters, forests and farmlands constitute one life community, and insists on the basic requirement of jointly promoting development of water sector by both governmental and market forces" as well as the principles of being "necessary, ecologically-safe and sustainable", and centered around the requirements for the simultaneous development of "new industrialization, agricultural modernization, new urbanization and informatization", the development of ecological progress as well as the main functional zoning of each regions. The planning should be scientific, the focal points should be emphasized, every aspect should be taken into consideration, and make efforts concerted to accelerate the development of a batch of major water projects which will be of national significance and with strong radiating and driving influence, and to optimize and improve the distribution of water resources, so as to provide solid guarantee of water security for the sustainable and healthy development of the economy as well as the society, and the building of fairly moderately prosperous society.

The relations among five aspects should be coordinated: First, coordinate the relation between saving water and finding new water source. It should be the precondition for the development of major water projects to save water and increase the utilization efficiency of water resources. The requirements of "prioritizing water conservation"should be observed, and efforts be intensified to promote water saving and conservation projects, such as the renovation of irrigation districts and the utilization of rainwater resources. Before a water diversion project is launched, the potential of water saving should first be assessed and the water saving measures implemented in the water-receiving area to make sure "water saving goes before water diversion, pollution control before water delivery, and environmental protection before water utilization". Second, coordinate the relation between ecological and environmental protection and the development of projects. When planning and developing major water projects, the ecological safety should be ensured to minimize their impacts upon the environment. Full estimation and pre-judgement should be made on the possible problems, such as the cut-off of river course, decrease of self-purifying capacity of water body, and the ecological degradation, while scientific restoration and compensation measures be studied and taken. Projects with unbearable ecological prices must not be "mounted". Third, coordinate the relation between the present and the future. When planning the development of major water projects, the planners should be far-sighted with a strategic vision of development while at the same time basing on the current situations. While satisfying the reasonable demands of the current generation, we should also consider the future development to for the good of future generations. Clear understanding and scientific judgement are needed on factors such as the change of water conditions, adjustment of productivity layout, progress of science and technology, and the upgrading of water utilization concepts. Fourth, coordinate the relation among different regions and river basins. The development of major water projects is an important means of promoting coordinated development among regions and basins. Regional differences should be fully considered while systematic way of thinking strengthened to take care of east, Central and Western China, as well as the south and the north. A holistic planning should be made to address regional and basin issues, engineering solutions proposed based on the local situations, and reasonable benefit compensation and distribution mechanism established between the upper and lower reaches of the river. Fifth, coordinate the relation between the government and the market. Based on the requirements of "using both the invisible and the visible hands", the decisive role of the market in resources allocation should be fully played through reform and innovation. The transformation of governmental functions should be accelerated, the economic means of the market, such as taxation and price, should be emphasized to improve water pricing mechanism be improved, regulate supply-demand relation, expand investment channels, promote water saving and increase the efficiency of water utilization.

It is planned that, with 10 years of efforts, China concentrate on building a batch of large water projects that are of strategic and national significance, so as to expand the guarantee capacity of water infrastructure in major areas and regions such as new urbanized areas, key national economic regions and major grain producing regions, to remarkably increase the efficiency and benefit of water utilization, and constantly improve the ecological environment. When all these planned major water projects are completed, 26 billion m3 of agricultural water saving capacity; 80.1 billion m3 of water supply capacity can be added annually; among the 56.5 billion m3 water of added reservoir capacity, 22.6 billion m3 water will be for flood control; and around 79.76 million mu (5.28 million hm2) of irrigated district will also be added.

2 Major Construction Tasks

2.1 Major agricultural water-saving projects. The guideline of "prioritizing water conservation" should be upheld and implemented, while agricultural water saving be deemed as a key strategy, so as to continuously increase the efficiency and benefit of water utilization, alleviate the contradiction between supply and demand of water resources, transform the development modes, and vigorously develop modern agriculture. The development emphasis will be given to the expansion and upgrading of the water saving facilities in large and medium irrigated districts, and to the efficient irrigation projects in the severely-thirsty and ecologically-fragile areas in Northwest, North and Northeastern China as well as the major grain producing areas.

2.2 Major water diversion projects. In order to increase the bearing capacity of regional water resources and environment as well as to guarantee the water supply security of key economic areas and city groups, on the premise that water demands between supplying and receiving regions (basins) are coordinated and addressed, and that water saving, efficiency increasing, pollution control, environmental protection and demand control have all been strengthened in a comprehensive manner, the implementation will be accelerated of a batch of major water diversion projects and interconnection projects among rivers, lakes, reservoirs and other water systems. Emphasis will be given to major water diversion projects, such as the diversion from Hanjiang River to Weihe River in Shaanxi Province. Early demonstration should be conducted for the follow-up projects for the East and Middle Routes of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project, so as to accelerate the early-stage work for the western route of the diversion project, and to lay a solid foundation for scientific decision making on the project.

2.3 Major water source projects. In order to guarantee the water supply security in the new-type urbanization process, a batch of backbone water source projects will be developed in southwestern China, where the severe water scarcity is caused by the lack of engineering structures, to increase the capacity of guaranteeing water supply and responding to emergency events, and to improve the regional water ecology and environment. Emphasis will be given to the construction of large reservoirs such as the Lalo reservoir in Tibet Autonomous Region. At the same time, desalination and integrated utilization of seawater will be actively promoted, seawater desalination be developed to become the important supplementation and strategic storage, the level of engineering technology and industrialization be improved at an accelerated speed, the existing water resources and water supply systems be included into centralized deployment, and the structure of water utilization be optimized.

2.4 Backbone river and lake harnessing projects. In order to increase the capacity of resisting flood disasters, a batch of river and lake renovation backbone projects will be developed at an accelerated speed. Emphasis will be given to key basin controlling projects (such as Datengxia Reservoir on Xijiang River and Chushandian Reservoir on Huaihe River), flood control of the main courses of Heilongjiang River, Songhuajiang River and Nenjiang River, river pattern control of the middle and lower reaches of Yangtze River, embankment construction in the lower reach as well as river course regulation in the upper and middle reaches of Yellow River, backbone water projects for the new round of Huaihe River and Taihu Lake regulation, and the safety development of floodplains. In engineering regulation, the natural rules should be respected, comprehensive utilization requirements of flood control, water supply, navigation and ecological protection be taken into full consideration, the relations be coordinated between the upper and the lower reaches, the left and the right banks, as well as the main course and the tributary. The flow should be guided according to the circumstances, and the natural shape of the river course be maintained to keep the curve, the width and the beach where suitable, and to avoid over-hardening or over-channelizing the river courses.

2.5 Construction of large irrigation districts projects. In order to increase the production capacity of grains in key areas as well as the integrated agricultural production capacity, a batch of large irrigated areas will be developed in regions with good water and soil conditions, such as the Northeast China Plain and the upper and central reaches of Yangtze River. The planning and construction should be up to high standards, while the engineering facilities and the water utilization quota in the new irrigated areas should all be up to the level of water-saving irrigation, so as to develop water-saving and ecological irrigated districts.