China Agenda 21 Water Resources Management Content

China's Agenda 21 depicts the blueprint for environmental and developmental actions in the 21st century, in which the tasks, objectives and action plans for water resources protection in China are clearly defined in the chapter of Natural Resources Protection and Sustainable Utilization, which is the guiding principle and action program for water resources protection. (1) Tasks facing water resources protection In the long run, China's water resources problem is mainly a shortage or insufficiency problem. It is expected that the total water demand of the country will reach 720 billion m3 in 2010, for which it is necessary to increase the water supply capacity by nearly 120 billion m3 by 2010. The possible impact of global climate change on China's water resources is manifested in the persistent drying-up of rivers in the north for about 20 years, while some rivers in the south are experiencing major floods; and droughts and floods are occurring frequently throughout the country. The traditional water resources management system and the means of capacity it possesses are no longer fully adapted to the requirements and changes in water resources management in a market economy, so it is necessary to reform the traditional water resources management system as soon as possible, while at the same time strengthening the capacity building of the management institutions. The protection and sustainable use of water resources involves the following seven aspects: a. Long-term water supply and demand planning and water resources assessment; b. Protection of water resources and water ecosystems; c. Sustainable use and protection of groundwater resources; d. Guaranteeing sustainable water use for urban life and industry; e. Water pollution control and sewage resource utilization; f. Impact of climate change on water resources and its adaptation strategies; g. Institutional reform and capacity building for water resources management. g. Institutional reform and capacity building. (2) Objectives of water resources protection The overall objectives of water resources protection and sustainable use are: to actively develop and utilize water resources and to implement comprehensive water conservation, so as to alleviate the existing severe water shortage crisis in urban and rural areas, to maximize the economic, social and environmental benefits of water resources development and utilization, and to satisfy the increasing demand for water quantity and quality in social and economic development, while maintaining the hydrological, biological and chemical natural functions of water resources, At the same time, on the premise of maintaining the natural functions of water resources in terms of hydrology, biology and chemistry, and maintaining and improving the ecological environment, water resources can be reasonably and fully utilized, so as to synchronize the development of economic construction and water resources protection. Water resources protection, in a broad sense, includes both water quantity protection and water quality protection, that is to say, the rational development, management and utilization of water resources through administrative, legal, technological, economic and other means, to protect the quality and supply of water resources, to prevent water pollution, water depletion, water obstruction and soil erosion, in order to satisfy the needs of the society for freshwater resources for the realization of sustainable economic development. The objects of water resources protection include water quantity and quality of surface water and groundwater. In terms of water quantity, there should be comprehensive planning, overall coordination, comprehensive utilization and efficiency, so as to give full play to the multiple functions of water resources. Care should be taken to avoid depletion of water sources and over-exploitation. At the same time, environmental protection requirements and the need to improve the ecological environment should also be taken into account. In terms of water quality, pollution and other public hazards should be prevented and controlled to maintain good water quality, and to this end, it is necessary to reduce and eliminate the entry of harmful substances into the water environment and to strengthen the supervision and management of water pollution control. In short, the ultimate aim is to ensure the sustainable use of resources and promote the harmonious development of mankind and the environment, so as to continuously improve the quality of mankind's environment and quality of life for the benefit of the people and future generations. In recent years, with the rapid growth of population, economic development and the acceleration of urbanization, the problems of water resource shortage and deterioration of water quality have become more and more prominent. In some areas, the uneven distribution of water resources and the shortage of water resources caused by the development and utilization of water resources exceeds the demand, resulting in resource-based water shortages. And in some areas where the amount of water resources is sufficient, the pollution of the water environment has made the water bodies no longer have their original functions, and the phenomenon of living next to the rivers but having no water to drink or use has appeared. The deterioration of the quality of the water environment leads to the reduction of available water resources, resulting in water-quality water shortage. The tasks of water resources protection are: to implement unified management of the water environment with the basin as a unit, to formulate basin water resources protection planning, delineate water function zones, formulate water quality control targets, implement total sewage control, establish and improve the water quality monitoring network in the basin, issue regular bulletins on the status of water resources, and carry out joint prevention of water pollution accidents, etc., so as to promote the realization of the basic objectives of water resources protection, and make water resources better for the life of the people and economic construction services. Economic construction services.