Circular of the State Council on Strengthening the Water Supply, Water Conservation and Water Pollution Prevention and Treatment in Urban Areas

Circular of the State Council on Strengthening the Water Supply, Water Conservation and Water Pollution Prevention and Treatment in Urban Areas

Guo Fa [2000] No. 36

November 7, 2000

Governments of provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the Central Government, ministries and commissions, and organs directly under the State Council:

China is a country deficient in water resources and problems of water deficiency in cities is especially serious. With the economy developing and urbanization process being sped up, at present a quite number of cities are lacking in water resources, the scope of urban water shortage is constantly expanding and the degree of water shortage is increasingly serious. Meanwhile, problems relevant to the unreasonable pricing of water consumption, failure in fulfilling measures to save water and serious water pollution are comparatively very outstanding. To strengthen and improve the work of urban water supply, water-saving, prevention and treatment of water pollution and promote the sustainable economic and social development, now the circular on the relative issues is as following:

Article 1 Raising Understanding Awareness and Unifying Thinking
1. The sustainable usage of water resources is the strategic issue of China's economic and social development, its core is to raise efficiency of water usage. To resolve problems of urban water shortage directly bears on the people's life, social stability and urban sustainable development. This is not only an urgent task of China's present economic and social development, but also a major problem concerning the long term development of modernization construction. All the regions and departments should pay high attention to this issue, adopt practical and forceful measures and seriously do the best job in urban water supply, saving water and preventing water pollution.
2. In doing the best job of urban water supply, saving water and preventing water from being polluted, it is necessary to persist in principles of putting the same stress on broadening water resources and saving water, preventing water from being polluted as the foundation, scientifically broadening water resources and comprehensively using water so as to provide a guarantee for the safe and reliable water supply and good water environment, and to support and ensure the sustainable development of urban economic and social development by the sustainable usage of water resources.

Article 2 Unifying Planning, Optimizing Disposition and Multi-Channel Ensuring of Urban Water Supply
1. All the regions shall put consideration and arrangement of urban water supply in priority in studying of and working out plans for valleys and regional water resources. Based on plans of valleys and regional water resources, the programmes of comprehensively using urban water resources shall be worked out as quickly as possible and incorporated them as integral components into the overall plans of urban economic and social development. The plans of comprehensively using urban water resources shall comprise plans on middle and long term supply and demand, water resources of water supply, saving water, turning sewage into resources and protection of water resources. For cities with particularly water resources shortage shall practice to transfer water from cross-regions on the basis of comprehensively considering water resource potential, doing their utmost to save water and control of water pollution and according to the implementation of plans of valley water resources.
2. To strengthen unified plans and management of urban water resources, and take the strengthening of the unified management of exploiting and using water resources as main point. It is necessary to scientifically define the order of water resources of water supply. The water used in the cities shall be to use ground water first and then underground water, to use local water first and then cross-regional water. Measures on gradually change the pattern of urban water supply from one water system, one reservoir, one river course to the pattern of "connecting many reservoirs, netting the water systems, jointly transferring ground water and underground water and optimizing imposition of water resources" shall be adopted. It is necessary to set up an emergency management system at the dry season and successive dry seasons, compile emergency plan in advance and enhance the guarantee rate of urban water supply.
　　......