At the water environment strategy forum of the Jiuzhai Paradise International Environment Forum at Jiuzhaigou, in Aba Tibet and Qiang Prefecture, southwest China's Sichuan Province, late last year, 16 world-renowned experts, from China and abroad, exchanged views on water pollution prevention and drinking water safety policy.

The forum was sponsored by the All-China Environment Federation. The experts' proposals on water environment strategy for China over the next five to 15 years have been summarized by the federation and submitted to the State Environmental Protection Administration.

The summary document focuses on the following seven aspects:

Water scarcity

In many regions of China, the use of water resources has approached or surpassed the level for sustainable utilization.

While energy is generally perceived as a highly important strategic resource, experts insisted that water should be regarded as even more so.

Traditionally, industrial development in China has never taken into consideration availability or lack of water resources in a given region.

While on the one hand, this imbalanced approach has led to increased water shortage and pollution; on the other hand, it has contributed to water environment pollution, which becomes an increasingly significant factor for economic growth.

As a solution, Qu Geping, former chairman of the Environment and Resources Protection Committee of the National People's Congress, noted at the forum that industrial growth and water resource conservation must be coordinated.

He also said that water resource planning should be regarded as a prerequisite for national and regional socio-economic development.

Coordinated development

River valley management involves environmental protection, water conservation, construction, land resources, agriculture, forestry, health, science and technology, development and reform-all these across administrative departments and administrative regions.

These entities are directly or indirectly involved, due to overlapping responsibilities.

This leads to conflicting proposals for water utilization and related development of the river valley, making it hard to ensure the effective implementation of all-round river valley planning and management.

While in recent years, such a comprehensive approach has received greater attention, a practical and effective river valley comprehensive administration body is yet to be set up.

The participants at the forum suggested that a committee with representatives from related departments from the State Council, local governments and water-consuming entities could play such a role.

It could co-ordinate and handle the work of comprehensive river valley planning, harnessing, supervision and management.

This would go a long way in clearing up the confusion caused by the conflicting interests of the different departments involved.

The committee could also arrange funds and help the bodies involved to share supervision and information for effective and well coordinated administration.

Experts believed this would ensure ecological stability of river valleys and provide a decision-making platform for coordinated development of industrial infrastructure and consequently socio-economy in these locations.

Quota control

Experts at the forum suggested that during the 11th Five-Year Plan period (2006-10), both a quantity control system and a permit system for water pollutant discharge should be implemented.

Pollutant discharge by different entities should be kept under discharge standards and amounts regulated by quota.

It was also felt that facilitating rapid construction and growth of well-regulated industrial parks would help form an orderly industrial chain across enterprises, in accordance with the principles of circular economy.

Enterprises are also expected to contribute by practising recycling and circular utilization of water resources.

Meanwhile, fundamental research on the total amount of usable water resources and water environment capacity should be strengthened.

The experts proposed a goal of realizing "zero growth" in water pollution over the next five to 10 years and "negative growth" in the years after.

Means of adjustment

Most experts agreed that the three important mechanisms which influence modern society, the government, the market and the public, should all be roped in.

While the government can improve control measures, the market can leverage the guiding role played by commerce. The public should be encouraged to participate and supervise in all processes affecting their water environment.

This will help ensure reasonable utilization and effective protection of water resources.

Investment and financing

Water environment, particularly water pollution harnessing, should be regarded as a focal point for investment in environmental conservation.

Foreign experts and institutions believe that investment in water environment will lead to higher gross domestic product (GDP) and help in reducing the number of people living below the poverty line.

The benefits of investment in water far exceed cost.

A World Bank report points out that an increase of 0.3 per cent in investment in household water safety will bring about growth of one per cent in GDP.

A win-win situation

Yang Zhenhuai, former minister of water resources, suggested at the forum that China's water pollution prevention and harnessing should focus on protection of drinking water sources such as the Yellow River basin, the Huaihe River basin, the Haihe River basin, the Beijing-Tianjin-Tangshan rim, the Yangtze River Delta and the Pearl River Delta.

Regular operation of water treatment plants should be accompanied by research on early prevention of water pollution. Greater levels of public awareness can complement this to realize a win-win situation.

More publicity

Over the next two decades, China's population will continue to grow.

Urbanization levels will also be on the rise. Heavy chemical industry will maintain high growth rates.

If all this does not go together with effective measures, the issues of safety and imbalanced distribution of water resources can only worsen.

For now, the south-to-north water diversion project has, to some extent, eased the inequity in distribution of water resources.

In the long run however, the solution lies in the optimized adjustment of population growth. Publicity should be strengthened to increase people's awareness of saving and using water resources.

(China Daily January 16, 2006)