Implementing China's “Water Agenda 21”

Yang, Xiaoliu; Pang, J W

doi:10.1890/1540-9295(2006)004[0362:icwa]2.0.co;2

Cited by 27 publications

(23 citation statements)

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“…The distribution of water resources is highly skewed geographically in China, with per capita use being about four times higher in monsoon-affected areas south of the Yangtze River than those in the north (Yang and Pang 2006). Water utilization rates vary accordingly, from 1.7-19.5 % of available stream flow for watersheds in the south to 31.0-91.7 % in the north (Jiang 2009).…”

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confidence: 99%

“…The concept of water diversion in China was developed decades ago, but in 1998 the government initiated plans to address the regional water scarcity crisis with its Water Agenda 21 (Yang and Pang 2006). Central to this plan is the goal to increase overall quantity in the north while reducing annual variation and seasonal fluctuations in water availability across the country, thereby reducing the frequency and scale of northern droughts and southern floods (Yang and Pang 2006).…”

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confidence: 99%

“…Central to this plan is the goal to increase overall quantity in the north while reducing annual variation and seasonal fluctuations in water availability across the country, thereby reducing the frequency and scale of northern droughts and southern floods (Yang and Pang 2006). Chief among these initiatives was the South-to-North Water Transfer Project, the world's largest water diversion.…”

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confidence: 99%

“…Chief among these initiatives was the South-to-North Water Transfer Project, the world's largest water diversion. This $62US billion project will divert up to 45 billion m 3 of water per year from water-rich areas in the south to arid areas in the north (Yang and Pang 2006). The project consists of three diversions-the western, middle and eastern routescorresponding with upper, middle and lower sections of the Yangtze River basin, the source of the diversion.…”

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Water diversions facilitate spread of non-native species

et al. 2015

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Many countries/areas are experiencing or may soon experience water scarcity owing to rapid population growth, urbanization and/or climate change. Currently, almost one-fifth of the world's population (1.2 billion) live in areas of physical water scarcity. Water diversions have become a commonplace solution proposed by governments for alleviation of physical water scarcity. Thus far, more than 80 major projects are completed or under construction globally, including the world's largest diversion: South-to-North Water Transfer Project (SNWTP) in China. Negative effects associated with water diversions, such as habitat loss and transfer of pollutants, have been recognized. However, it has been largely overlooked that ''invasion highways'' are created when water diversions link biogeographic regions. These ''invasion highways'' can facilitate spread of an array of non-native species. Although previous experiences have provided clear warnings regarding spread of non-native invasive species through artificial waterways, these lessons have been largely ignored by governments when resolving water scarcity problems. Here we use SNWTP, which will likely facilitate spread of invasive golden mussels, as well as many known examples of non-native invasive species spread through artificial waterways in other water systems, to call on governments to formally establish policy and seek management solutions to considering spread of non-native species when planning water diversions.

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Water diversions facilitate spread of non-native species

et al. 2015

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“…China's water resources scarcity and widespread water pollution, combined with the increasing demands resulting from the rapid social and economic growth limit its further development and sustainability (Cheng et al 2009;Hu 2010a, 2011;Yang and Pang 2006). Water supply shortage in China could also threaten global sustainable development and have worldwide impacts if the country's ability to produce sufficient food to feed a large and growing population can no longer be maintained (Cai and Ringler 2007;Xiong et al 2009a, b;Tso 2004).…”

Section: Overview Of China's Water Resourcesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Improving China’s water resources management for better adaptation to climate change

Cheng

2011

Climatic Change

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Challenged by insufficient water resources and by degraded water quality caused by widespread pollution, China faces an imbalance between the supply and the demand of water for supporting the rapid social and economic development while protecting the natural environment and ecosystems. Climate change is expected to further stress freshwater resources and widen the gap between the demand for and supply of water. As a legacy of the earlier planned economy, water resources management has been primarily supply-driven, which largely fails to account for the economic nature of water resources in relation to their natural characteristics. This paper presents a historical perspective on the water resources management policies and practices in China, and recommends demand management and pollution control as key measures for improving water resources management to adapt to climate change based on the current political, socio-economic and water resources conditions. The past and future impacts of climate change on water resources in China and the general adaptation strategies are also presented. How demand management through increasing water use efficiency, improving water rights and rights trade, and effective regulation enforcement, along with pollution control could improve China's water resources management are discussed in details. Ultimately, China should develop a sustainable water resources management strategy based on both supply-and demand-side management options to make the limited water supplies meet the demands of economic development, social well-being and the conservation of ecosystems in the context of global climate change.

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Changes in China's water resources in the early 21st century

Tao

Zhang

Feng

et al. 2020

Frontiers in Ecol & Environ

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Nearly 19% of the world's population lives in China, yet the country contains only 7% of the planet's fresh water. Combining remotely sensed data and ground-based measurements, we conducted a comprehensive assessment of recent changes in China's water resources. Beginning in the 21st century, glaciers in western China have been melting at very high rates; lakes on the Tibetan Plateau have been expanding rapidly, but lakes in other regions have been severely impacted by humans; and groundwater in the North China Plain is increasingly being depleted. Overall, the nation's water resources have been decreasing at an annual rate of ~9.6 billion cubic meters. Precipitation was the dominant factor controlling the observed changes in water resources, but human activities and rising temperatures have also been major drivers in the decline of water resources in the North China Plain and Tibet, respectively. From a global perspective, the changes in China's water resources are among the most pronounced on Earth, and water policies should be re-evaluated and revised in light of the findings presented here.

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Implementing China's “Water Agenda 21”

Cited by 27 publications

References 0 publications

Water diversions facilitate spread of non-native species

Water diversions facilitate spread of non-native species

Improving China’s water resources management for better adaptation to climate change

Changes in China's water resources in the early 21st century

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