Abstract
With less than 6% of total global water resources but one fifth of the global population, China is facing serious challenges for its water resources management, particularly in rural areas due to the long-standing urban-rural dualistic structure and the economic-centralized developmental policies. This paper addresses the key water crises in rural China including potable water supply, wastewater treatment and disposal, water for agricultural purposes, and environmental concerns, and then analyzes the administrative system on water resources from the perspective of characteristics of the current administrative system and regulations; finally, synthetic approaches to solve water problems in rural China are proposed with regard to institutional reform, regulation revision, economic instruments, technology innovation and capacity-building. These recommendations provide valuable insights to water managers in rural China so that they can identify the most appropriate pathways for optimizing their water resources, reducing the total wastewater discharge and improving their water-related ecosystem.
Highlights
total phosphorous (TP) emissions due to lack of wastewater treatment and disposal in rural China. They contribute around 10%–16% of the whole amounts of total nitrogen (TN) and TP into the water body [27]
Resources is in charge of water resource protection, water infrastructure, flood control and drought relief, irrigation and hydrological engineering, and water administrative rules and regulations; the Ministry of Environmental Protection is responsible for pollution prevention and control in key regions and river basins as well as the environmental protection plan for drinking water source areas; the Ministry of Housing and Urban-rural Development (MHUD) is responsible for urban water supply and conservation activities, implementing urban sewage disposal facilities and the construction of network accessories; and the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) is in charge of national water resource allocation plans, water pollution reduction, strategic plans, policies and measures concerning the conservation and comprehensive utilization of water resource, and water prices
Three important laws are related to water management in China, including the “Water Law of the People’s Republic of China”, the “Law of the People’s Republic of China on Prevention and Control of Water Pollution” and “Environmental Protection Law of the People’s Republic of China”
Summary
With less than 6% of total global water resources but one fifth of the global population, China is facing serious challenges to its water resources management, in the rural areas due to the long-standing urban-rural dualistic structure and economically centralized developmental policies [1,2], such as water scarcity [3,4], unsafe drinking water [5], water pollution and arbitrary disposal of wastewater from township enterprises [6,7], incomplete water infrastructure [8,9], corresponding ecological and human health risks [10,11] and imperfect management system [12]. To provide safe drinking water and sufficient water resource supply for rural China has become an important priority in. China’s 12th 5-year plan [13,14], while water pollution control has become a major concern in policy-making at different levels [15]. Few studies have been conducted in order to address the water issues in rural China [16,17]. Previous studies indicate that water issues have been a key factor affecting the long-term sustainable development of China [18]. 1.3 billion people in China drink water that is contaminated with chemical and biological pollutants, such as petroleum, ammonia nitrogen, volatile phenols and mercury [19]. It is important to conduct an overview study on water issues in rural China and provide more appropriate recommendations for improving the overall management level
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