Experts are crying out for a comprehensive water-saving strategies as a fundamental solution to China's worsening water shortage, which they see as an issue threatening the nation's sustainability.

Celebrating the 12th World Water Day (March 22) and the 17th China Water Week, which began yesterday in Beijing, leaders in the field called on society to gain a better understanding of the relationship between humans and water resources.

The theme of World Water Day for 2004 is "Water and Disaster." China marked the day by seeking harmony between its water resources and future development.

"In China, shortages of water are an unavoidable issue challenging national security," Wang Shucheng, who heads the Ministry of Water Resources, said.

Water shortages have plagued 400 out of China's more than 660 cities with the situation ever-worsening in 100 of them including metro areas like Beijing and Tianjin, he said.

The minister predicted "China's per capita share of water resources will decrease by 20 percent, dropping from the present 2,140 cubic meters or only 31 percent of the world average to some 1,700 cubic meters by 2030 as the population peaks at an estimated 1.6 billion people."

Worsening water scarcity and water pollution, he indicated, will not only further bottleneck China's economic growth but slow its pace in achieving a well-off society within 20 years.

"Creating a water-conservation-conscious society should be treated as a fundamental strategic measure in people's daily lives with strict water-saving rules widely adopted to raise water-use efficiency," Wang said.

Wang urged related authorities "to put an end to any water-wasting behaviors and fight against random water pollution."

"Water-pollution control is a must for government to improve fragile ecosystems even though its cost is high," Chen Zhikai, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, said.

By 2050, China's discharge of sewage will be up to 150 billion cubic meters, according to Chen.

Chen called on treating sewage and recycling the water for farming irrigation.

The use of so-called brackish water can also be enhanced in north China's coastal areas and northwest inland regions to make up for regional fresh water supplies, Chen suggested.

"We can also desalinate sea water. In 2002, only 12 billion cubic meters of sea water was desalinated in China. It was only 15 percent of the level the United States reached in 1985," he added.

Li Jingwen, an academy scholar, said he hopes projects unsuitable for regional water supply capabilities can be controlled as a way to restructure regional industries.

"Blindly digging wells for drought-relief is also damaging groundwater resources in drought-prone areas," and is another serious problem, said Tao Qingfa, an official from the Ministry of Land and Resources.

Tao urged authorities to intensify strategic reserves of groundwater for emergency situation.

(China Daily March 23, 2004)