Feb 16 – State Council recognizes limited water resources given its large population.  It states that the country is facing severe water shortage, pollution and environmental degradation, posing a major bottleneck for economic and social sustainable development.

The State Council released recommendations and comments for the CPC Central Committee to better implement the 2011 No. 1 Document focused on improving water management. Key recommendations/ targets in the previous document were expanded :

Water Usage Caps	2015	2020	2030
Total Water Usage Cap (m3)	635 billion	670 billion	700 billion

 

Water use efficiencies are also to be raised to that of developed nations by 2030, and pollutants to be monitored so as to improve the water quality of rivers and lakes. In order to do this, the State Council will regulate the use of water including groundwater under the “strictest criteria”.

Hu Siyi, the deputy minister of water resources, has been quoted as saying, “Unless we take decisive and compulsory measures to stop the over-exploitation activities, the water shortage will get worse in the future.”

Read the full statement here (Chinese only).