Govt will work closely with other nations to tackle crisis

China is not only committed to working more closely with other nations to find solutions for the global water crisis, but also willing to share its unique experiences in water resources management and conservancy, Chen Lei, minister of water resources, tells China Daily in an exclusive interview.

"The water crisis has become a bottleneck for sustainable development across the globe and there needs to be concerted efforts among nations to come up with solutions."

Chen, who is leading the Chinese delegation to the 6th World Water Forum in Marseille, France, from March 12 onwards, says China and the European Union have decided to ink an agreement to establish a platform to exchange experience on water resources management.

"Water shortage and water-borne disasters are becoming more and more serious, due to rising population, advanced urbanization and global climate change," Chen says.

The forum, organized by the World Water Council (WWC) every three years, is the largest international event for the water sector that aims to come up with solutions for global water issues.

"The water crisis is a major concern for all nations. China believes that most of the problems can be solved if there is closer cooperation and interaction between the nations."

The Marseille meeting is the first global platform on water issues that China is participating as a full member after joining the WWC in 2009.

According to the minister, China and Japan will hold a ministerial roundtable during the summit to discuss solutions to water-triggered disasters.

Despite the constant threats of floods and droughts, China has made remarkable progress in the water sector, Chen says.

The minister says the biggest achievement of successful water management has been the record harvests, which have ensured that nearly 95 percent of the grain needs are met from domestic sources.

China's grain output reached 571 million tons in 2011, an increase of 4.5 percent and the eighth consecutive year of growth, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.

Climate change has worsened in recent times and many parts of the globe are facing extreme weather situations. China is no exception as droughts have now become a major threat to grain security.

From 2003 to 2009, the total grain loss from various natural disasters was 303.35 million tons - more than four times the increase in output over the same period.

During this period, the grain lost due to drought alone was 185.38 million tons, according to information provided by the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences.

To cope with such situations, China decided to invest 4 trillion yuan ($633 billion, 480 million euros) on water conservancy projects in the 10 years from 2011. The number is a sharp increase compared with the 200 billion yuan spent on the water sector in 2010, Chen says.

To ensure that there is adequate funding for water conservancy projects, the government will utilize 10 percent of the land transaction revenues for farmland irrigation projects.

China invested a record 345.2 billion yuan on water conservancy projects in 2011, gave priority to improving the irrigation infrastructure for grain security and came up with projects to deal with droughts and floods, Chen says.

Irrigated land in China reached nearly 60 million hectares in 2010 compared with 49 million hectares in 1980, according to information provided by the water ministry.

Irrigated land produces more than 75 percent of China's grain output and more than 90 percent of its vegetables and economic crops.

"The government will take steps to further improve water conservancy, such as increasing investment and speeding up construction," Chen says, adding that, "such huge investment is unparalleled anywhere in the world".

More efforts have also been made to improve the water quality and the national flood-control and drought-relief system, the minister says.

The government has set a goal to provide safe drinking water to all rural residents by 2013.

Nearly 300 million rural residents lack access to safe drinking water presently.

Steps to repair 50,000 ageing and hazardous reservoirs will be undertaken on a priority basis, the minister says. Nearly 7,356 large- and medium-sized reservoirs have already been reinforced or rebuilt by the end of 2010. Repairs on another 5,400 small-sized reservoirs will be completed this year.

Besides highlighting China's achievements in the water sector, the minister also revealed that more efforts will be taken to enhance China's involvements in global water movements.

The six-day forum in Marseille will bring together more than 35,000 participants from 180 countries.

You may contact the writers at jinzhu@chinadaily.com.cn and liangchao@chinadaily.com.cn.

(China Daily 03/09/2012 page6)