3 Seize the Strategic Opportunity of the 13^th Five-year Plan Period and Accelerate the Modernization of Water Governance System

During the 13^th Five-year Plan period,the overall requirements for water sector reform and development should be followed.We must actively implement the guidelines on water conservancy in the new era,accelerate the building of a water-saving society and the water infrastructure network,push for ecological progress,step up a scientific development mechanism and water conservancy for people's livelihood,and build a water safety network in line with the building of a moderately prosperous society.

The following principles on water conservancy must be abided by in the 13^th Five-year Plan period.First,put the people first and serve their day-to-day needs.Second,give priority to water conservation and water use efficiency.Third,respect nature and seek harmony between humans and water resources.Fourth,plan as a whole and take comprehensive measures to control water resources.Fifth,deepen reform and be innovation-driven.Sixth,carry out water governance based on the law.Furthermore,we will strive to realize the following goals in the next five years:first,further improve flood control,drought combat,and disaster relief systems.The key flood control areas of major rivers must reach the flood control standard as planned,urban flood control and drainage facilities must be improved and flood control standards in key sections of medium-sized and small rivers raised to once every 10 to 20 years,and the drainage standard for low-lying areas liable to waterlogging raised to once in every 5 to 10 years.Second,the water resources utilization efficiency and benefits must be significantly improved.The total amount of water consumption shall be kept under 670 billion m³ and the water consumption for each ten thousand yuan (RMB) of GDP and each ten thousand yuan (RMB) of industrial production be reduced by 23%and 20%respectively.The effective utilization coefficient of agricultural water use shall be raised to above 0.55.Third,the level of water supply safety for urban and rural areas shall be markedly improved.We plan to add water supply capacity by 27 billion m³.The quality of water sources for urban areas shall reach the standards,with tap water coverage in the rural areas to reach 80%and centralized water supply coverage to reach 85%.Fourth,rural water infrastructure shall be substantially improved.The construction of supporting facilities and rehabilitation of water conservation in large irrigation districts and key medium-sized irrigation districts shall be basically completed.The effective irrigation district of farmland will reach 1 billion mu (70 million hm²) and the area of water-saving irrigation reach around 700 million mu (50 million hm²).The installed capacity of rural hydropower stations will increase by 6 million kW.Fifth,water ecological governance and protection should be comprehensively strengthened.Over 80%of the water function zones of major rivers and lakes will reach water quality standards.An area of 270,000 km² of soil erosion will be comprehensively treated.The excessive extraction of groundwater shall be strictly controlled,and the water eco-system stability and service function will be gradually improved.Sixth,breakthroughs will be made in water sector reform and management.We will further intensify law-based water resources governance and management and initially put in place a water use rights market and a water pricing system.A well operated mechanism for water conservancy will be essentially formed.A mechanism for stable growth of water resources investment will be further improved,and hi-tech innovation capacity will be markedly enhanced.

Therefore,the following work should be highlighted:

First,build a water-saving society by controlling both total consumption and the intensity of water resources.We will accelerate the water distribution of main rivers,intensify water resources assessment in planning and construction projects and form a mechanism for water conservation and efficient use.We will comprehensively push for water saving in agriculture,the manufacturing industry,the service industry and urban and rural domestic use and launch projects in rainwater and reclaimed water utilization as well as sea water desalination.A water saving system characterized by the cooperation among all stakeholders will be established,and pilot program for water use efficiency leaders will be launched.We will incorporate water saving as an index in government performance evaluation and establish a system of rewards and punishments for water saving and excessive use of water.

Second,plan for the present and the future as a whole and improve the water infrastructure network.We will push for the control of major rivers and lakes and launch a number of key new projects to improve flood control capacity,including the Guxian water conservancy project in the Yellow River;we will phase in the Lijiayan and Huangjiawan water source projects in Sichuan and Guizhou Province respectively to enhance urban and rural water supplies and emergency response capacity;we will carry out a number of cross-basin and cross-region water diversion projects in the central and western regions to tackle water shortages.

Third,vigorously develop water conservancy for people's livelihood based on the concept of universal access.We will launch projects to consolidate and further improve rural drinking water safety,and ensure rural water supplies.We will highlight the construction of supporting facilities and the rehabilitation of water conservation,high efficient water savings and small construction of farmland irrigation and drainage works in irrigation districts.We will continue to harness major tributaries and small and medium-sized rivers,and carry out the prevention and management of mountain floods,the reinforcement of dangerous and hazardous reservoirs and the development of flood retention basins.

Fourth,strengthen systematic management by integrating rivers,lakes and reservoirs.We will build a network of rivers in light of local conditions and accelerate the connection system of rivers,lakes and reservoirs.We will innovate our governance models and build green ecological corridors of rivers and lakes to realize safe and eco-friendly development.We will make scientific plannings and optimize joint operations in reservoir groups.

Fifth,uphold green development and seek water ecological progress.We will give priority to the control of soil erosion in key areas,accelerate the comprehensive treatment of sloping farmland and the construction of small and ecologically clean watersheds,and actively develop rural hydropower.We will fully implement the action plan for water pollution control and regulate the use of river and lake eco-spaces.We will strictly control the total amount of groundwater abstraction and water levels,step up comprehensive control of excessive extraction of groundwater in northern China and gradually strike a balance between abstraction and recharge.

Sixth,make targeted poverty alleviation efforts through water conservancy.We will overcome the weak links of poverty-stricken areas through ensuring rural drinking water safety and farmland irrigation,strengthen flood controls,drought relief and disaster relief,and strike a balance between the development and protection of water resources,and between conservation of water and soil and rural hydropower development.We will ensure water conservancy for poverty alleviation and seek targeted poverty alleviation;we will give priority to the water conservancy projects in urgent need in impoverished areas,and constantly improve the technology,personnel training,management and service capability in these areas.

Seventh,put people first and beef up urban water conservancy.We will constantly improve urban flood control,drainage and disaster relief projects,and build a system for monitoring and early warning,organization and mobilization,as well as emergency relief.We will strengthen the protection of water sources for urban drinking water,launch a number of key water resource projects and water supply projects for major cities,build and upgrade urban water supply networks,and attach importance to urban water recycling.We will give priority to the designation of water protection areas in controlling the intensity of urban development,strictly managing the urban water functional areas.

Eighth,deepen reform and innovation and constantly improve the water governance system.We will study and formulate the list of government mandates in terms of water governance and responsibility and strengthen their supervision.We will increase financial investment at different levels,and encourage and attract social capital to participate in water conservancy.We will press ahead with the comprehensive reform of the agriculture water price,carry out initial distribution of water use rights and its verification and registration,actively build a water use rights trading market and improve the credit system in the water conservancy project construction market.We will promote the system of "governors of rivers or lakes assuming overall responsibilities"^[3],advance the reform of property and management system of water conservancy projects and strengthen service systems at grassroots levels.

Ninth,consolidate the foundation of water conservancy development and promote law-based and scientific management of water resources.We will accelerate legislation in key areas and the weak links of water conservancy,and push for comprehensive law enforcement and law-based administration.We will improve the water conservancy planning system at the national level,in river basins and at regional levels,and intensify its control of water-related activities.We will improve technological innovation,deepen reforms in scientific research institutions on water conservancy,accelerate the growth of think tanks and speed up informatization,in a bid to improve the capacity of scientific and technological original innovation and raise the role of science and technology in driving the water sector development.