Development and Utilization of Water Resources

 Current Situation of Water Demand and Supply

The Yellow River is the important water resources on north-west China and North China plain. It will not only be satisfactory to the demand of water usage for the basin region economic and social development but also supply water for the users neighboring its basin and keeping certain quantity of water volume for sediment flushing into the sea.

Based on the calculation of 56 years series statistic data from 1919-1975, the annual mean natural runoff volume of the Yellow River measures 58 billion m3. Ground water potentiality is about 45.3 billion m3. The total volume is 72.8 billion m3 after deducting repetitive calculated volume 30.5 billion m 3of river runoff and ground water.

According to statistics, the current state of water diversion and usage of the available river runoff reaches to 39.5 billion m3, and water consumption 30.7 billion m3. Agricultural irrigation is the main user, with annual diverted water volume 36.2 billion m3 and consumption 28.4 billion m3, occupying 92% of the total water consumption. Industry and urban area amounts to 3.3 billion m3 and with water consumption 2.3 billion m3, occupying 8% of the total water consumption. Currently, the exploited ground water volume reaches 9.7 billion m3, among which, 2.3 billion m3 is on the upper river, 5.4 billion m3 on the middle river and 2 billion m3 on the lower river. The water mentioned above mostly concentrate in the major tributaries, like Fenhe river, Shushui River, Weihe River, Wei River and gullies of the river basins etc.

 

 Irrigation State

The total irrigated area in 1949 was about 800,000 hm2 in the Yellow River Basin and lower reach, and  expanded to7.126 million hm2 in 1990, among which, 5.125 million hm2 was benefited by the surface water consitituting 72% of the total irrigation. 2.001 million hm2 was benefited by the well irrigation constituting 28% of the total. The Ningxia and Inner-Monglia Yellow River plain irrigated area on the upper reach, the Fen and Wei Rivers basin irrigated area and the irrigated area on the Lower River, the three large-scale segments, are the more concentrated irrigated area by the Yellow River, well developed in cropping and are the important grain and cotton production bases in China, all together totaling 5.658 million hm2, covering 79% of the total number of the riverwide.

The benefits of the irrigation by the Yellow River are obviouse. According to statistic, unit grain output increasion with irrigation is from 3-5 times rather than that of which without irrigation system. The acculmulated increased grain output from 1950 to 1995 in river-wide amounts to 254.855 billion kg, cotton 2.58 bilion kg, oil-bearing cropping 7.05 billion kg, sugar beetroot 10.254 billion kg. The money value of benefits by irrigation calculates 179.74 billion RMB based on the price of the same year. The current value will be 451.323 billion RMB if refering to the price of 1995.  At the same period, the total investment on the irrigation in riverwide is 42 billion RMB, the ratio of investment and benefits is 1:4 with bretty good economic benefits.

 

 Water demand of urban and industry

The water supply work in the Yellow River basin has a long history. There are many built structures in solution the water demand of Beijing, Tianjin and the major cities and townships along the river, however, such supply is not in huge quantity. Since 50’s of this century, water supply works has been rapidly developed. Along with the development of industry and water demand of urban area, the water supply range extends as the time being, covering various cities, counties and townships and, the major industries are also included in huge increasingly demand rate. The water supply covers three kinds, the industry, living and others (the public, green plantation, environment beatifying as well as the environment taking and gardening etc).

In 1990, the industries and urban water uses accounted for 6.48 billion m3, among which, industrial uses 5.15 billion m3, taking 79%, the urban uses 1.33 billion m3, occupying 21% (as shown in Table ). The water supply works were normally built up and managed by the city public infrastructure institutions. Quite a big number of the structures works on the ground water except a few numbers works on the surface water. For the large-scale industries, which are the bigger user of water, mostly rely on the river water, have their own water supply works for their own uses.

 

 Hydropower generation

There are nine major multi-purpose projects and hydropower stations constructed on the main stream of the Yellow River as follows: Longyangxia, Liujiaxia, Yanguoxia, Bapanxia, Qingtongxia, Sanshenggong, Daxia, Tianqiao and Sanmenxia etc. and there are Nina, Lijiaxia, Wanjiazhai and Xiaolangdi multi-purpose project under construction. The total capacity of 13 reservoirs including accomplishment and under construction, is 56.35 billion m3 with 35.57 billion m3 effective storage. And the total installed capacity is 9.156 million KW, and annual average power generation is 34.31 billion kW.h that respectively takes 29.3% of the available exploited hydropower installed capacity and 30.2% of annual hydropower generation on the main stream. The construction of these projects on the main stream does not only exploits water and hydropower resources, but also brings tremendous comprehensive benefits in terms of flood control, ice-run flood control, siltation reduction, irrigation, water supply etc, which plays an important role in promoting national economic development and harnessing the Yellow River

Table Industry and urban water uses of eight provinces along the Yellow River in1990.

province

total

industry

urban

Water uses

 Water consumption

Water use

Water consump-tion

Water use

Water consump-tion

Sub-total

Percent-age(%)

Ground water

Sub-total

percen-tage

Ground water

Qinghai

3.50

5.4

2.37

2.65

5.9

1.80

3.11

2.34

0.39

0.31

Gansu

11.18

17.3

6.63

7.26

16.2

4.30

9.81

6.37

1.37

0.89

Ningxia

5.28

8.1

4.23

3.56

7.9

3.02

4.52

3.04

0.76

0.52

InnerMon-golia

4.94

7.6

3.16

4.79

10.7

3.12

4.14

4.02

0.80

0.77

Shanxi

8.90

13.7

7.68

8.90

19.8

7.68

7.08

7.08

1.82

1.82

Shaanxi

10.24

15.8

8.36

5.14

11.5

4.18

6.60

3.31

3.64

1.83

Henan

13.53

20.9

6.19

5.33

11.9

1.40

11.03

3.89

2.50

1.44

Shandong

7.24

11.2

2.40

7.24

16.1

2.4

5.26

5.26

1.98

1.89

Whole river

64.81

100

41.02

44.87

100

27.90

51.55

35.31

13.26

9.56

 

 Navigation

It has long history for navigation on partial section of the Yellow River. As early as Warring State Period(647BC), it recorded “the grain of Qing State has been transported into Jin State by shipping”. During Han and Tang Dynasties, partial sections of the upper and middle reach were used for navigation. By end of Qing Dynasty and early of the Republic of China, with the construction of highway and railway, the navigation on the Yellow River declined with each passing day. Currently, only short distance and seasonal transportation by shipping for passengers and goods take place on partial section of the main stream with annual transportation 380,000 - 630,000 ton. The present state of navigation on the main stream shows on the table

Table Present Status of Navigation on the Main Stream of the Yellow River

Section

Section in between

Distance(km)

 Ship size (t)

Navigation Period

No.of passengers (ten thous.)

Quantity of goods (ten thousand

Month

Days

Upper reach

Lagan-Longyangxia

109

8

 

 

2.5

 

Binglingsi-Lijiaxia

41

 

 

150

11

 

Lanzhou municipal area

11

 

 

300

10

 

Wuhai-Sanshenggong

109

200

4-10

 

 

2-3

Sanhuhekou-Lamawan

332

300

4-10

183

 

2

Middle reach

Liangjiaqi-Hequ

17

10

 

 

 

3

Tianqiao-Hejiapan

335

15-20

4-10

 

 

3-5

Chuanwo-Yumenkou

9

10-15

4-10

 

 

2-3

Tongguan-Sanmenxia

115

100

11-6

 

 

1

Jiaozhi railway bridge-Mengjin

19

10-20

 

300

 

0.7

Lower reach

Gaocun-Weishan

173

100-300

 

 

 

4-5

Weishan-No.1 dam

332

60-500

3-11

 

 

20-40

The navigation condition of the Yellow River is very poor, there are many dangerous shoals on the most section of upper, middle and lower reaches with rapid flow, and it is frozen in the winter season. The middle and lower reaches are sediment-laden section with great variation between aggradation and degradation, it meanders and shifts abruptly, and flow variation between flood period and non-flood period is great, and partial sections are frozen in the winter season. At present, the passenger-cargo transport by shipping on the main stream of the Yellow River become less, especially on the lower reach. Recently, with the growth of water uses in industry and agriculture sectors, which results in cut-off of the lower reach year by year, there is no navigation basically on the lower reach of the Yellow River.

 Water pollution and its monitoring and assessment

The major industry cities in the Yellow River Basin are: Lanzhou, Yinchuan, Baotou, Sanmenxia etc. on the main stream, Xining, Taiyuan, Xi’an, Luoyang, Tai’an etc. on the tributaries. With the growth of population and rapid development of industry and agriculture production, a great deal of industry sewage has been directly drained into the river without treatment which results in worse of water quality.

The Water Resources Protection Bureau of the Yellow River Basin was set up in 1975. A number of works has been done in the water resources protection regarding monitoring of water quality, scientific research, water environment management and planning in the past 20 years. The water quality monitoring work in the Yellow River Basin started in 1972, which was conducted by the Department of Public Health along the Yellow River at that time. The Yellow River Conservancy Commission (YRCC) has formally managed the monitoring work on the intakes of main stream and tributaries since 1978. And water quality monitoring work for each tributary has been done by each provincial(region) water conservancy bureau and environment protection bureau. By the end of 1994, 340 water quality monitoring stations, 30 analysis labs have been built up on the whole basin to monitor 40 ODD items of water. Through these practices, 1.2 million data on water quality has been acquired and 3,300 odd station year data of water quality and 70 odd station year monitoring data have been issued, water quality database has been established so as to provide basic information of water quality on whole river.

Based on monitoring data, 2.1 billion ton sewage had been drained into the river in the early stage of 1980s. Since 1990s, sewage drained into the river has sharply increased up to 4.17 billion ton. At present, there are 300 major pollutant sources on the main stream. According to analysis on the 1997 water quality monitoring data, the river length with which water quality can meet drinkable water standard of category II and III only takes 17% of the total assessing river length. The severe water quality pollution aggravates the shortage of water resources in certain extent. The shortage of water resources and worse of water quality has become unfavorable condition to restrict economic development of the Yellow River Basin, and lead to water environment issue on the Yellow River Basin.

Based on “Water Pollution Protection Law” issued by the China government, the construction of legal system on water resources protection is under going, and some local water resources protection regulations, and standard for drained pollutants has been formulated, and “Water Resources Protection Act on the Yellow River Basin” is under modification. And each province along the Yellow River has adopted effective measures to control water pollution, taking enterprises as an example, they firstly dispose “three wastes’ internally and then, gradually establish sewage treatment system combining a number of scaled treatment in city and township with internal treatment of enterprises.

 

 Anti-drought and hazard reduction

Facing successive occurrence of drought on the Yellow River basin, various level local governments have adopted a series of drought-fighting and prevention measures, such as constructing water conservancy projects, developing irrigation, conducting soil conservation, constructing capital farmland, water-saving projects. And another measures also adopted, for example, establishing drought-fighting squad, extending prevention technology of rain fed agriculture, applying chemical mehod for drought-fighting and hazard reduction etc. In order to alleviate the situation of dry river and solve water demand for drought-fighting of major cities beyond the river basin, water has been transferred from upper reservoirs to lower reservoirs, from inside river basin to outside which plays an significant role in development of local economy.

By the end of 1996, the accumulated investment by the State government was 42 billion Yuan on the following projects: 10077 large, medium and small-sized reservoirs, ponds and dams, 33355 pumping stations, 380000 wells, hundred sluice gates and lift stations. With accomplishment of a number of irrigation projects, which further upgrades guarantee rate of the water supply for the irrigation area between Ningxia and Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, and irrigation have been basically realized in Guanzhong plain. And irrigated areas in Shandong and Henan have been extended quickly. Irrigation area inside river basin and on the lower reach has increased rapidly which create favorable condition for stable and high yield of crops and increase ability of fighting against drought. Taking Shandong as an example, 70 years drought occurred in 1989, the grain has increased by 1.6 million ton with irrigation and decreased 1.35 million ton without irrigation.

 

  Development of water resources and water saving policy

1 Policy of Development of Water Resources utilization

l     Strictly Excuting “ A Plan of Distribution of the Available Supply Water of the Yellow River”

In order to well coordinate the water demand of the multi-users in different area and different user within the Yellow River basin and along the Yellow River, with the approval of the State Council on principle, the administrative office of the State Council approved and transmitted the Plan of the Available Supply Water Distribution by Guo Ban Fa (1987) No. 61 Official Document before the operation of the Water Transferring From North to South Project, throughout all the Provinces and autonomous regions, and strongly request carrying out water-saving measures in all cases and formulating individual water usage planning dependent upon the plan of the Available Supply Water Distribution of the Yellow River.

l      Implementing Water Fetch Permits System by Law

Based on the “Water taking Permits Implementation Action” and related regulations, Yellow River Conservancy Commission (YRCC), is responsible for implementing, supervising and managing the Yellow River basin water fetching permits, and fully and partially in charge of the management of the water fetching from the main stream and the major joint-tributaries over the next province, and implementing total water volume usage in control for each province and autonomous regions along the Yellow River.

l      Unified Water Management for Main Stream

On Dec. 1998, with approval of the State Council, China State Development and Planning Commission (CSDPC) and Ministry of Water Resources issued and implemented A plan of Annual Available Water Supply Distribution and Water Volume Regulation of the Main Stream of the Yellow River and Terms of Water Volume Regulation & Management by “Ji Di Qu (1998) No. 2520 Document”. Such Plan and Terms stipulates that the unified management and regulation for water of the Yellow River is on the responsibility of the YRCC and formulates the regulation principle, limits of authority, usage application and examination and approval, and the water usage monitoring and supervising as well as the rule of readjustment of  pre-scheme of regulation of water in real time.

 

2 Water Saving Policy

l      Increasing Investment on Water Saving Works and Greatly Supporting Farming Water Saving Projects.

Farming water saving irrigation practices is the key issue in terms of implementing the water saving all over the Yellow River basin. Condition 26 of Chapter 4 of the “Policy of Water Resources Industry” of the State Council stipulates: various government project approval authorities should select and list the farming water saving project on priority with additional investment. As for water saving project, which is matchable to the conditions of loan and has capability of repayment, National Development Bank and Agricultural Bank should firstly arrange loan. Various level people’s government should arrange financial sources as interest deduction for the farming water saving project according to different condition. The “Policy of Water Resources Industry” of the State Council defines the guidelines and directives of vigorously supporting the farming water saving irrigation project in all ways.

 

l      Raising Water Price

 For a long time, due to water price too lower resulting in flooding irrigation is the major reason of water wasting in usage. The condition 20 of Chapter 3 of the “Policy of Water Resources Industry” of the State Council defines that the water price supplied by the original water supply works should be made be operational and in place within 3 years gradually (during the “Ninth-five Year Plan) referring to the state water price policy and cost compensation, the principle of rational benefit charge and different usage purpose, and timely readjustment of the charges by changes of water supply cost. At present, the rational water price at the head of the canal on the lower Yellow River has been submitted to the SDPC for approval.

l     Raising Charge for Excessive Quota of Water Usage

Implementing different water price charge and adopting progressive rate for excessive quota of water usage is one of the effective measures of dealing with water saving domestically and overseas. The Condition 27 of Chapter 3 of the “Policy of Water Resources Industry” of the State Council clearly defines: Extra fee should be added up in case of water usage excessive the quota.

l      Management Reinforcing, Water Saving as the Strict Condition in Examination and Approval of Project Listing

Management Reinforcing is one of important practices in effectively water saving. It is the only way to eliminate the water uses wasting cases at the beginning in strict examination and approval project implementation. YRCC and the water administrative authorities in each province and autonomous regions should exams and approve the proposed water diversion project in conformity of the regulation systems of water uses saving. Responsible Planning Department should refer to the stipulation of  “A separate demonstration of wording of water saving uses should be included in the proposal of project with high water consumption, otherwise, it can not be listed and implemented in case that against it” as Condition 27 of Chapter 4 of “Policy of Water Resources Industry” to exam and approve project.

l       Study Emphasizing and Extension of Water Saving Technology

Central State Government strongly stresses the study and extension of water saving technology, Water Law of the People’ Republic of China stipulates and authorities various level people’ government to encourage and reward model workers and institutions who have achieved greatly results in water saving technology study. “Policy of Water Resources Industry” of the State Council also regulates much effort should be stressed on water saving and study and techniques extension.