China's water resources are scarce and unevenly distributed. It has the sixth largest amount of renewable resources in the world, but a per capita availability that is only one-fourth the world average and among the lowest for a major country. The country is under serious water stress, and its problems are made more severe by the fact that resources are unevenly distributed, both spatially and temporally. Per capita water availability in northern China is less than one-fourth that in southern China, one eleventh of the world average, and less than the threshold level that defines water scarcity. A monsoonal climate also means that China is subject to frequent droughts and floods, often simultaneously in different regions, as precipitation varies greatly from year to year and season to season. The complexity of water resource management in China requires a transition from a traditional system with the government as the main decision making entity toward a modern approach that relies on a sound legal framework, effective institutional arrangements, transparent decision making and information disclosure, and active public participation. This will require that laws are straightforward and not contradictory, with mechanisms and procedures for enforcing them. It also should entail the creation of a new multi-sectoral state agency tasked with overseeing water management policy at the national level.
Details
-
Author
Xie, Jian
-
Document Date
2009/05/01
-
Document Type
Brief
-
Report Number
48725
-
Volume No
1
-
Total Volume(s)
1
-
Country
-
Region
-
Disclosure Date
2010/07/01
-
Disclosure Status
Disclosed
-
Doc Name
Addressing China's water scarcity
-
Keywords
water;Water Resource Management;efficient use of water;economic value of water;water pollution control;public health;water use;River basin;traditional water;ecosystem service provider;local water resource;scarcity of water;water right trading;incidence of diarrhea;wastewater discharge permit;safe drinking water;drinking water source;water quality management;sources of water;efficient water use;cost of water;cost of pollution;water pollution reduction;scarce water resource;municipal water system;water resource allocation;water right system;water management policy;
- See More
Downloads
COMPLETE REPORT
Official version of document (may contain signatures, etc)
- Official PDF
- TXT*
- Total Downloads** :
- Download Stats
-
*The text version is uncorrected OCR text and is included solely to benefit users with slow connectivity.
Citation
Xie, Jian
Addressing China's water scarcity (English). Water P-Notes ; no. 37 Washington, D.C. : World Bank Group. http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/537531468221676912/Addressing-Chinas-water-scarcity