水资源短缺:污染威胁中国经济增长

China now consumes more than 600-billion cubic meters of water a year. That makes up about three-quarters of its exploitable water resources.

The average per capita of water resources is only 2-thousand-one-hundred cubic meters annually - about 28-percent of the world's average level.

In the water reservation guideline, China is trying to keep its total volume of water use below 670-billion cubic meters in 2020.

The guideline has capped the maximum annual water consumption at 700-billion cubic meters by the end of 2030.

Hu Siyi is the vice minister of water resources.

"In places where water intake has reached or surpassed the quota, approval of new water intake projects will be suspended. We will draft the compulsory standard of water conservation and ban the sale of substandard products. In places where sewage discharge exceeds local handling capacity, approval of new pollution discharge outlets will be limited."

He notes that water shortages, serious river pollution and the deteriorating aquatic ecology are threatening the country's economic growth.

Water reservation engineer Zhou Xuewen elaborates some specific measures in the guideline to save water.

"Water saving facilities is encouraged in daily life. High water consumption sectors will be phased out. The water saved by advanced agricultural technologies will be used in the industry sectors to meet the demands. We are also encouraging recycling and sea water desalination in water-starved areas."

Ministry of Water Resources suggests 40-percent of Chinese rivers have been seriously polluted and made unfit for drinking.

Currently two-thirds of Chinese cities are water-needy, while nearly 300-million rural residents lack access to safe drinking water.

To find solutions the central government is planning 4-trillion yuan of investment in water resource conservation projects over the next ten years.

For CRI, I'm Ding Lulu.