China is the most populated country with more than 1.3 billion people and by 2030 the population is expected to be 1.5 billion according to the United Nations (UN). They are currently facing a water shortage and quality problem. It ranks fourth in the world for total water resources yet it is second lowest in per capita water resource availability. There is a huge regional disparity in that Southern China gets approximately 79 inches of rain per year and in Northern China average rainfall is between 7 to 16 inches per year. Despite the lack of rainfall, about 65 percent of agriculture is located in Northern China so they are very reliant on irrigation systems and underground aquifers. Of China’s 640 major cities, more than 300 have water shortages and 100 have serious scarcities. The more than 300 million Chinese who live in rural areas lack access to safe drinking water.

China’s water sources are groundwater, surface water and glaciers. As surface water quality has gotten worse, the extraction of groundwater has increased to meet demand. Groundwater provides potable water for approximately 70 percent of the population and irrigation for about 40 percent of its agricultural land. In order to avoid polluted water, farmers are pumping from deeper levels- some wheat farmers pump at a depth of 1,000 feet according to the U.S. embassy in Beijing. According to one estimate, half of the groundwater in Chinese cities is contaminated.

Water is divided into six categories. From a study done in 2010 by China’s Ministry of Environmental Protection, which took samples from all major rivers and lakes, results showed that 49 percent was in the first three categories which are safe for drinking and bathing, 27 percent is in the fourth and fifth category which is safe for agricultural and industrial use, and the remaining 24 percent is in category 6 which is unsafe for any use.

Over the past few decades, the number of lakes has decreased from 4,077 to just 2,800. Forty-eight of the major lakes have been designated as seriously polluted. The Yangtze River is the longest river in China and one quarter of water sampled from there was found to be so polluted that it couldn’t even be used for farm irrigation. Approximately 21,000 chemical companies in addition to paper, steel, textile and power plants are located along the Yangtze and Yellow rivers. The origin of the Yangtze and Mekong rivers is at the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau which has over 35,000 glaciers. Seasonal melting supplies water to the rivers however due to climate change they are shrinking by about 7 percent per year. These glaciers are also the water source for other rivers that run through India, Bangladesh, Burma, Bhutan, Nepal, Cambodia, Pakistan, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam.

The main causes of water scarcity and pollution in China include increased demand due to rapid economic and population growth, the migration from rural to urban areas, industrialization, inadequate infrastructure investment and management capacity, climate change, the conversion of lakes to rice paddies, agricultural use, and inefficient irrigation systems. Untreated wastewater from factories and cities is discharged into lakes and rivers. Sixty-seven percent of China’s water is used for agriculture, specifically for irrigation, forestry, breeding livestock and maintaining fisheries. China is also the world’s largest consumer of synthetic nitrogen fertilizers which can impact water quality. The most prevalent crops grown, wheat and rice, are also some of the most water intensive.

Half of the population consumes drinking water contaminated with animal and human waste which contributes to the country’s leading infectious diseases- diarrheal diseases and viral hepatitis. China has the highest liver and stomach cancer death rates in the world and links have been made to these types of cancer and water pollution. Rates are more than three times higher in polluted rural areas when compared to cleaner areas and birth defects are also more than four times higher in areas with polluted water. Due to the lack of funding for studies linking water pollution and human health effects in China, there is limited data to fully absorb the impact. unsustainably. Water is highly subsidized by the government so prices are very low and there is no incentive for people to conserve it. The government does regulate water pollution however the water laws are rarely enforced and if fines or punishments are given, they are generally not sufficient enough to prevent future abuses. Also, it is difficult to enforce water laws when economic benefit could be impacted. Municipal and industrial wastewater is inadequately treated. There has been investment in water treatment plans however they are expensive to run and are often not in operation unless inspectors are present.water resources. The government has also set goals for 2015 and 2020 to make industries more compliant with water regulations and two years ago a more powerful Ministry of Environmental Protection was formed to replace the State Environmental Protection Agency.

There have been efforts to improve the availability and quality of water. In 2005, the government became involved with the World Bank’s Analytical and Advisory Assistance Program who would provide assistance in developing, adopting and implementing water policy and reforms that can help to improve the management of

China’s water resources are managed

Multiple projects are underway along the Yangtze River which includes strengthening embankments, building structures for flood control, hydropower plants, dams, soil erosion prevention schemes, water quality monitoring networks and environmental protection facilities.

A 2009 World Bank report recommends that China should move from a traditional water management system where the government is in control to a more modern system based on a “sound legal framework, effective institutional arrangements, transparent decision-making and information disclosure and active public participation.” It suggests that China raise the price to reflect the scarcity of water and determine clear property rights. It is clear that with the increased urbanization, industrialization and population, China is in need of a long-term plan for water management.

ehanfman@masonlive.gmu.edu