Public Participation of the River Chief System in China: Current Trends, Problems, and Perspectives

Chenhui Wu,Xiangyi Gu,Maosen Ju,Cuiling Jiang,Longfei Wang

doi:10.3390/w12123496

Abstract

The River Chief System (RCS) is an effective measure for China to solve complex water problems and maintain the health of rivers and lakes. It is an institutional innovation to improve the water governance system and ensure national water security. Guiding and encouraging the public to participate in the construction of the RCS can promote the improvement of the level of social governance. The RCS is an effective supplement and supervision to the performance of the river chief and related departments, which can effectively promote the transformation of the RCS from nominal to practical and efficient. This study summarizes the innovative models and practical effects of, and public participation in, the RCS, analyzes the prominent problems, and proposes some measures to maximize the influence of public participation. The study provides insights on how to ensure the long-term operation of the RCS, a reference for countries around the world as a suitable solution for the sustainable management of water environments.

Highlights

With the acceleration of industrialization and urbanization in the past four decades, rivers and lakes in China are under severe and complex pressure from pollution, and the water management system is undergoing tremendous changes
Studies show that public participation has a strong theoretical basis, and it has beneficial applications in water environmental protection, water pollution control, and water conservation
They have the right and obligation to participate in the whole process of construction of the River Chief System (RCS), and supplement and supervise the performance of the duties of river chief and related departments—they have the absolute right to check the effectiveness of governance

Summary

Introduction

With the acceleration of industrialization and urbanization in the past four decades, rivers and lakes in China are under severe and complex pressure from pollution, and the water management system is undergoing tremendous changes. IWRM is a process that promotes the coordinated development and management of water, land, and related resources in order to maximize economic and social welfare without compromising the sustainability of vital ecosystems [1]. IWRM does not mean centralized management of a department but is coordinated and managed by various departments including the Ministry of Water Resources, the Ministry of Housing and Urban-rural Development, the Ministry of Environmental Protection, and the Ministry of Transportation, etc. The inefficiency of the IWRM and the difficulty implementing it in China may be ascribed to factors including amorphous definition, operational difficulty, departmental conflicts, and lack of authority in river basin management [2]

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Results

Conclusion