An investigator samples water in Qidong, a county-level city in Nantong, East China’s Jiangsu province. [Photo/WeChat account of Qidong Daily]

Conserving water has been a priority in Nantong, Jiangsu province over the past few years, and one part of the city has recently won special recognition.

Qidong, one of Nantong’s county-level cities, has been included on a list released by Jiangsu Department of Water Resources and Jiangsu Provincial Development and Reform Commission. The list honors areas of the province that are doing their utmost to save every drop of water.

The city has long placed a special emphasis on carefully managing its water supplies. Indeed, conservation and protection of water resources are listed as a key performance indicator of the local government.

To help discourage wastage, a tiered water pricing system was established to help manage and regulate residents’ water consumption. Once a person’s water usage goes beyond a set limit, additional charges are applied.

Water-saving irrigation techniques have also been adopted to further improve efficiency, and technologies and new facilities are being rolled out to ensure more water is reused for industrial purposes.

And Qidong’s efforts are bearing fruit.

The amount of water needed to generate 10,000 yuan ($1,485) in gross regional domestic product decreased to 25.61 cubic meters in 2018, and for 10,000 yuan of industrial added value it dropped to 5.15 cubic meters.

Leaking pipes are becoming rarer too, with a leakage rate of just 11.32 percent for the pipe network and an effective utilization coefficient of irrigation water of 0.652.

In addition to meeting all of its conservation targets, Qidong has built an education center and a demonstration residential community to promote its water-saving ideas.