Conservation buffer systems for water quality security in South to North Water Transfer Project in China: an approach review

Abstract

Water shortage is a crucial problem in northern China, but in southern China, enormous floods frequently occur. The water problems seriously disturb human life and the sustainable development of the economy and society in the country. To solve the water problem, the government of China approved the South to North Water Transfer Project in 2002. The project will build the east, middle and west routes in which 44.8 billion m3 of water will be transported from the Yangtze River in the southern part to the northern region annually. The east and middle routes are 1154 and 1267 km long, and their respective constructions have been started since 2002 and 2003. The west route is reevaluated. However, the establishment of conservation buffer systems beside the routes to protect the water from severe non-point pollution from agricultural runoff was ignored. Except for pollution, change in the environment from the water exporting to importing area also alters the physical and chemical properties of the transferred water. The protection of the water quality along the routes is a critical issue that significantly influences the purpose of the project. The paper proposes the establishment of conservation buffer systems beside the routes for the protection of the water, and discusses the buffer construction based on some successful cases in western countries.