Plan in pipeline to save groundwater
Updated: 2015-09-29 08:47
(China Daily)
|
|||||||||
China is set to carry out a new plan to protect groundwater resources as the authorities try to cope with a mounting challenge of excessive use in most provincial areas, a government official said on Monday.
A national plan on the use and protection of groundwater will soon be rolled out by the central government, Qi Bingqiang, an official with the Ministry of Water Resources, said at a news conference.
The plan will state clearly the concrete target of the groundwater exploitation of each provincial area. It will also set specific targets for the reduction of overuse in areas where the problem exists.
It is part of a nationwide effort to protect groundwater resources as overuse is a problem now facing 21 provincial areas. In some areas in North China, where water shortages are more severe, groundwater still accounts for more than 70 percent of the water supply, the ministry said in a guideline in August.
Overuse of groundwater now occurs in more than 300,000 square kilometers of Chinese territory, an area approximately the size of Italy. More than 17 billion cubic meters of water are being over-extracted from underground sources each year, he said.
Qi said the country will also launch a nationwide groundwater monitoring project as the water authority has set the target of building more than 20,000 groundwater monitor stations across the country.
"We will step up the online monitoring of major groundwater users to prevent them from over-extracting of the resources," he said.
The authority will also employ a pricing plan to help protect the resources.
"In areas where there is a severe overuse problem, we will make sure the price of groundwater will be much higher than those from rivers or lakes," he said.
He noted that a number of provincial areas have taken measures to protect the groundwater resources.
Legislators in Hebei and Shaanxi provinces have rolled out a provincial regulation on groundwater use, while in Beijing, the authorities have closed all extraction wells in urban areas.
Meanwhile, experts and legislators have called for a nationwide legislation on the use of groundwater resources.
Dong Xinguang, vice-chairman of the Standing Committee of the People's Congress of the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, said in March that more than 50 cities in China are threatened by land subsidence as a result of groundwater overuse.
"The lack of a systematic and highly applicable law system is an important reason behind the sprawling groundwater overuse," he said.
- Typhoon Dujuan makes landfall, disrupts traffic
- China announces contribution to EU's 315 billion-euro investment plan
- Chinese population may face sharp drop from 2017
- Plan in pipeline to save groundwater
- Forbidden City visitor cap to stay during holiday
- Watch your behavior overseas, Chinese tourists told
- Dogs surf in contest in California
- France launches air strikes against Islamic State in Syria
- LatAm experts praise Xi on yuan, globalization
- Women's rights are human rights, German chancellor says
- Hajj death toll rises to 769, Iran denounces 'crime'
- Russia's military build-up in Syria reinvigorates political solution
- China's first lady visits Juilliard School
- China's first lady unveils stamp honoring disabled
- Xi makes four-point proposal on promoting women's rights
- China gifts the UN 'Zun of Peace' for 70th anniversary
- Xi calls for equitable, open, all-round development
- First Lady Peng delivers speech in English at UN
- Three Xi-Obama meetings: From casual to black tie
- Xi pledges $2 billion to help developing countries
Most Viewed
Editor's Picks
8 highlights about V-day Parade |
Glimpses of Tibet: Plateaus, people and faith |
Chinese entrepreneurs remain optimistic despite economic downfall |
50th anniversary of Tibet autonomous region |
Tianjin explosions: Deaths, destruction and bravery |
Cinemas enjoy strong first half |
Today's Top News
Xi pledges $2 billion to help developing countries
Young people from US look forward to Xi's state visit: Survey
US to accept more refugees than planned
Li calls on State-owned firms to tap more global markets
Apple's iOS App Store suffers first major attack
Japan enacts new security laws to overturn postwar pacifism
Court catalogs schools' violent crimes
'Beauty of Beijing's alleys akin to a wise, old person'
US Weekly
Geared to go |
The place to be |