Groundwater  Crisis  and  Governance  in  China  

With  Perspec,ves  from  the  North  China  Plain    

Jie  Liu1,  Chunmiao  Zheng1,2  

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  m3  water      per  year  by  2030,  out  of  an  estimated  total  of  800-­‐900    billion  m3  available.    

Premier  Wen  Jiabao  

Land:  62%  Water  Resource:  19%  Groundwater  Resource:  30%  PopulaCon:  47%  

Land:  38%  Water  Resource:  81%  

Groundwater  Resource:  70%  PopulaCon:  53%  

NORTH  

SOUTH  

Water  Per  Capita  

S  

N  

Source:  MWR  

China,  A  Tale  of  Two  Halves  

Comparison  of  Exploitable    Water  Resources  Per  Capita  

2200  

350  

8200  7600  

0  

2000  

4000  

6000  

8000  

10000  

China   North  China  Plain  

USA   World  

Amou

nt  in  m

3  

Ranked  ~120th  globally  

Sources:  Gleick  (2003)  &  Shiklomanov  (1997)  

Percentage  of  GW    in  Total  Water  Supplies  

>80;  50-­‐80;  30-­‐50;  <30  

Scarcity  and  PolluCon:  Double  Whammy  

Wastewater    Discharge  to  Yangtze  River  Tributary  2008  

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  

Where Have Rivers Gone?

Disappearing Wetlands

Wastewater Discharge

Source: China Geological Survey (2008)

“Cones of Depression”

62 m

112 m

Max depth to water

Source: China Geological Survey (2008)

Groundwater Quality

100 km

Category 5: not for drinking

Category 4: mainly agricultural

Category 3

Category-2 water

Deeper aquifer

Shallow aquifer

Poor quality

58% of 243 samples

Source: China Geological Survey (2008)

Land  Subsidence   Max cumulative amount: ~3.25 m Areas subsiding 200+mm: 60,000 km2

Areas below sea level: 118,000 km2

Estimated economic loss: 330 billion RMB

Tianjin

Beijing

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?  

Historical  development  of  GW  Governance  in  China  

After 1998

•  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

Before 1988

•  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

at Drinking Water Source Protection Area (1989) •  Regulations on Urban Groundwater Development and

Management (1993) •  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

1988-1998

Laws Regulations Standards

National Level

The Water Law (2002)

The regulations on water withdrawal permit and water resources fee charging (2006)

14 national standards 14 sectoral standards

The regulations on urban groundwater development and

management (1993)

The Water Pollution

Prevention and Control Law (2008)

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 Mineral Resources

Law (1986)

The rules for the implementation of the Mineral

Resources Law (1994)

Local Level

More than 50 regulations and rules at provincial and municipal levels

The  State  Council

NaConal  People’s  Congress  (NPC)

Water  PolluCon  PrevenCon  &  Control  

Law  (WPPC,  1996,  2008) Water  Law  (2002)

Mineral  Resources  Law  

(1986)

Legislation

Province

Municipality

County

Township

Centre

Administration MEP MWR MLR

Pv.  EPBs Pv. WRBs Pv.  DLR

Mn.  EPBs Mn.  WRBs Mn.  LRBs

County  EPBs County  WRBs County  LRBs

RBOs Yangtze Yellow Huaihe Haihe Pearl    R. Songliao   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.