Li Shantong, Lu Zhongyuan, Hou Yongzhi, Liu Yong and Feng Jie

As a complicated and huge system engineering undertaking, the south-to-north water diversion project will generate profound and lasting impact on the economic and social development as well as on the ecological environment. To implement the project, it is imperative to correctly handle the relationship between water saving and water diversion, pollution control and water supply, environmental protection and water utilization, economic performance and social effects. It is also crucial to appropriately co-ordinate the interest relationship among water supply areas, water receiving areas and areas along the water diversion routes, as well as the relationship between market regulation and government rules and regulations.

I. Based on the objective of sustainable utilization of water resource, efforts should be made to start water saving prior to water diversion, and change the situation of extensive utilization and serious waste of water resource as soon as possible.

1.There are serious wastes in water utilization in agriculture, industry and urban construction, which will fatally offset the economic and social effects of the water diversion project if no change is made as soon as possible.

First, water resource utilisation in agriculture remains especially extensive. At present, China’s total water utilisation for agricultural field irrigation has reached 344 billion m3, which accounts for 66.5% of the total water utilisation in China. However, the effective utilisation rate of irrigation water is only 30-40%, while that of the developed countries stands at 70-80%. In China, grain production capacity per cubic meter of water is only around one kilogram, while it is generally 2 kilograms in the developed countries. Furrow irrigation still remains the main form of irrigation in 98% of the irrigated areas in China, this system leaks away 130 billion m3 of water each year, accounting for more than 70% of the total water loss.

Second, water utilisation in industry remains extensive and there is a serious water waste in urban living. In China, the output of one ton of steel uses 23-56 tons of water, while in the USA, Japan and Germany, it is less than 6 tons. Paper making in China consumes at least 450 tons of water for one ton of paper, while in the developed countries, it consumes 200 tons of water at most. In most of the cities in China, the rate of re-utilisation of industrial water is only 30-40%, while it is over 75% in countries like Japan and the US. The leaking rate of urban water supply pipes in China is generally 5-10%, and in some cities, it is as high as above 15%.

Faced with the short supply of water resource, the situation of extensive utilisation of water resource and serious waste requires earliest fundamental change. Otherwise, the south-to-north water diversion project will not be able to play its expected role.

2. It is imperative to make significant conceptional and institutional changes, so as to create sound conditions for the sustainable utilization of water resource.

The main reasons of China’s extensive utilisation and serious waste of water resource include the outdated conceptions as well as the water resource management and operation systems formed under the planned economy. Therefore, it is necessary to complete the following six conception and institutional changes: (1) change the conception that regards water as inexhaustible, increase the awareness that fresh water resource is limited; (2) change the practice of only preventing the damage of water to human beings, prevent especially the damage of human beings to the water resource as well, so as to achieve harmonious co-existence of man and nature; (3) change the practice of focusing on water resource development, utilisation and control, strengthen the appropriate allocation, effective saving and reasonable utilisation of water resource on the premise of protecting and improving the ecological environment; (4) change the practice of water supply based on demand, increase water utilisation efficiency and guaranteed water supply, make national economic development plans and industrial distribution based on the demand and supply conditions of water resource; (5) change the practice of "giving equal priority to opening up more channels of supplies, water saving and pollution control" to "water saving first, pollution control must, and seeking more water supply from multiple channels"; and (6) change the water resource management dispersed in several departments under the planned economy to a centralized management that "covers both land and water areas" under the market economy.

II. Insisting on pollution control and environmental protection first, and water supply second

1. Effective measures should be adopted to prevent pollution to the water sources in the water diversion areas.

At present, pollution along the bank of the Yangtse River – the water source area of the eastern route of the south-to-north water diversion project – has aggravated. Due to low rate of urban waste water treatment, large volume of untreated urban waste water is directly discharged into the River, creating at least a 50-60 km of polluted belt close to the banks of major cities along the River. Apart from pollution by directly discharged industrial waste water and urban waster water, the water of the water source area also conceals potential problems of bio-pollution by specific organisms particularly found in the South, such as blood flukes. Therefore, relevant measures should be adopted as soon as possible to control pollution and effectively prevent the spread of diseases along with the water diversion. The water source of the western route of water diversion project is in Aba and Ganzi regions, which are the upper reaches of the Yangtse River. However, they suffer from serious soil erosion caused by degenerated grasslands, desertification and wild rats, which not only run against water conservancy at the source, but also seriously threaten the ecological protection belts at the upper reaches of the Yangtse River. They should deserve serious attention for precautious measures.

2. Solutions should be found as soon as possible to the problems of serious pollution and ecological damages in the areas along the diversion routes and the areas that receive the water.

The problems of pollution and environmental protection are similarly grim along the middle and eastern routes of the water diversion project as well as in the water receiving areas. At present, the proportion of water with quality below fifth-class in Huai River has reached 73.6%. In 2001, eight ministries and government departments, including the State Environmental Protection Administration and the State Development and Planning Commission, carried out an inspection, which discovered that there was no fundamental change in the structural pollution along the Huai River, and it was especially difficult to bring under control the more than 400 paper-making plants along the river valley. According to plan, 52 sewage disposal plants should be constructed in the river valley, but only 11 had ever been built then. The conclusion of the inspection is that Huai River has lost self-cleaning capacity.

III. Strengthening appropriate planning along the water diversion routes and promoting co-ordinated economic and sustainable development in the areas along the water diversion routes

1. Effectively planning and constructing the ecological protection zones along the water diversion routes

As a huge cross-valley and long-distance project, the south-to-north water diversion project may involve state-level ecological protection zones or areas with extremely vulnerable ecological environment along its routes. The water supply may improve the quality of water and the ecological status of these areas, as well as bring certain negative impacts as a result of human activities. Therefore, efforts should be made to bring benefit rather than harm to the areas, effectively maintain the ecological protection zones and speed up the construction and restoration of the vulnerable ecological environment.

2. Coping with the relationship between the flood discharge and flood storage areas and the construction of small towns, resettlement and development of township and village enterprises along the water diversion routes

China has suffered frequent floods in recent years. Apart from natural reasons, the major causes of the disaster include disrepair of the water conservancy projects and the construction of township and village enterprise and private premises inside the flood discharge and flood storage areas, which further increased economic losses caused by floods. Such lessons should be well learned, while efforts should be made to effectively plan and protect the flood discharge and storage areas, relocate the private and the township and village enterprise premises from the areas, and incorporate the effort of constructing small towns with that of accelerating the development of the township and village enterprises in concentrated and adjoining areas. Meanwhile, efforts should be made to protect the immediate interests of immigrants and ensure that they are content with their new housing and jobs to prevent them from returning to native places.

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