Water conservancy projects in China: Achievements, challenges and way forward

• Published in: Global environmental change Vol. 23; no. 3; pp. 633 - 643
• Main Authors: Liu, Junguo, Zang, Chuanfu, Tian, Shiying, Liu, Jianguo, Yang, Hong, Jia, Shaofeng, You, Liangzhi, Liu, Bo, Zhang, Miao
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier Ltd 01-06-2013; Elsevier
• Subjects: Central Document No. 1 of 2011; China; climate change; Construction costs; Earth sciences; Earth, ocean, space; Ecological and environmental impacts; economic development; Economics; Ecosystems; Engineering and environment geology. Geothermics; environmental impact; Exact sciences and technology; funding; Governments; groundwater; Hydrology; Hydrology. Hydrogeology; infrastructure; Investments; irrigation; Pollution, environment geology; society; soil water; Stringent control; Water conservancy projects; Water conservation; water policy; water pollution; Water resources; Water resources management; water use efficiency; China; Far East; Asia; China, People's Rep; Stringent control; Water resources management; Water conservancy projects; Central Document No. 1 of 2011; Ecological and environmental impacts; water wells; economic development; ground water; reservoirs; pollution; dams; environment impact; irrigation; water resources; aquifers; soils; climate change; efficiency; socioeconomic impacts; water policy; investment; surface water; future; ecosystems; water resource management; infrastructures
• ISSN: 0959-3780; 1872-9495
• DOI: 10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2013.02.002

► China's water conservancy projects have brought tremendous benefits, but also posed many ecological, environmental, and social problems. ► The development of water conservancy projects has been predominated by the central government's ideology towards water conservation. ► The Central Document No. 1 of 2011 is an important milestone in China's water development. ► China's future water conservancy requires paradigm shifts.
China's water policies in the past decades have relied heavily on the construction of massive water conservancy projects in the form of dams and reservoirs, water transfer projects, and irrigation infrastructure. These facilities have brought tremendous economic and social benefits but also posed many adverse impacts on the eco-environment and society. With the intensification of water scarcity, China's future water conservancy development is facing tremendous challenge of supporting the continuous economic development while protecting the water resources and the dependent ecosystems. This paper provides an overview of China's water conservancy development, and illustrates the socioeconomic, environmental and ecological impacts. A narrative of attitude changes of the central government towards water conservancy, as well as key measures since the 1950s is presented. The strategic water resources management plan set by the central government in its Document No. 1 of 2011 is elaborated with focus on the three stringent controlling “redlines” concerning national water use, water use efficiency and water pollution and the huge investments poised to finance their implementation. We emphasize that realizing the goals set in the strategic plan requires paradigm shifts of the water conservancy development towards maximizing economic and natural capitals, prioritizing investment to preserve intact ecosystems and to restore degraded ecosystems, adapting climate change, balancing construction of new water projects and rejuvenation of existing projects, and managing both “blue” (surface/groundwater) and “green” water (soil water).