China’s federal river management in the Han River Lan Fang Shaanxi Normal University, China Federal Rivers: China Case Study 006 China is short of water and water resources WRP is still being planned. The Middle Route are unevenly distributed. Southern China’s Project diverts water from the Han River, the Yangtze River basin is rich in water resources, largest tributary of the Yangtze River, to North while northern China’s Yellow River basin China’s Henan and Hebei Provinces and possesses 60% of China’s landmass but only Beijing and Tianjin Municipalities. The MRP 20% of the nation’s water resources. To will ultimately transfer 9.5 billion cubic alleviate the northern and northwestern water meters annually, benefiting a population of 35 shortage, the massive South-to-North-Water- million. The MRP will commence operation in Diversion (SNWD) project is being 2015. constructed. Although the MRP will bring great benefit to The project consists of three routes. The East North China, it has created a number of Route Project (EPR) transfers water from the disputes between national and provincial downstream Yangtze River to East China’s governments and between neighbouring Shandong Province through the Beijing- provincial governments. Hangzhou Grand Canal and other parallel The Han River already has disputes about river ways. The West Route Project (WRP) will water distribution, migrant relocation, transfer water from the upstream of the institutional management and conflict Yangtze River on Qinghai-Tibet Plateau to the resolution. The Han River rises in southern upstream of the Yellow River. Due to its Shaanxi Province, flows southeastward to construction difficulties and huge costs, the China’s federal river management in the Han River Hubei Province and contributes nearly 90% of Yin-Han-Ji-Wei was submitted by the Shaanxi the water storage of Danjiangkou Reservoir Provincial Government and was approved by where the water will be stored before being the central government. This project will transferred to North China. transfer water from upstream Han River to thirsty central Shaanxi. Although it provides a rich and clean water resource, Southern Shaanxi is, however, the Industry and agriculture in the neighbouring most under-developed region of the province. province, Hubei, located in the middle and In 2009 the disposable incomes of urban and lower catchment of the Han River and the rural residents were 12,651 Yuan and 3,284 middle catchment of Yangtze River, are also Yuan respectively, just 74% and 64%, of being affected by the implementation of the China’s average. Both the local government national SNWD and Shaanxi province’s water and residents have very strong incentives to diversion project. Danjiangkou Dam is located develop industries to improve living standards. in Hubei Province. It was built in 1958 with a This will become much harder to achieve after height of 162 meters. To better serve the the construction of the SNWD, since the need SNWD the dam wall was raised to 176.6 to keep the Han River clean limits potential meters in 2009. This will not only increase the expansion of the local manufacturing and capacity to control floods along the middle mining industries. and lower Han River, but also increase the amount of water that can be transferred to the The agricultural sector will also be affected north. However this will also lead to a significantly. Around southern Shaanxi’s significant reduction of water flowing in the Ankang city, two thirds of cultivated land has Han River downstream of the Danjiangkou been converted to forest to reduce erosion Dam. Such a large diversion will reduce the under the Sloping Land Conversion Program. dilution capacity of the river and aggravate Farmers can no longer rely on on-farm income pollution. in that region. While they may get some compensation from the central government it In addition, Hubei province has to implement is far from sufficient to cover their sacrifices. the world’s largest migrant relocation project In addition to the monetary compensation with a population of 180,000. These negative issue the rest of Shaanxi province also suffers impacts, conflicts about water distribution from a severe water shortage and needs water with upstream Shaanxi province, worsening from the Han River as well. A proposal titled water quality, huge relocation costs and China’s federal river management in the Han River migrants’ sacrifice, caused Hubei Province to people and industries. Based on Chinese seek support from the central government. Water Law, the water resource ownership The province has submitted a proposal to the belongs to the nation and is controlled by the national State Council requesting approval to central government. Each province negotiates build a canal to transfer water from upstream with the central government and there are few YangtzeRiver to the Han River, so that the successful experiences of effective negotiation water loss of Han River can be partly directly between provinces. Another example compensated. This proposal is still awaiting of the central government’s role is in response the approval of State Council. to the problems in Han River. The national Ministry of Water Resources recently Both Shaanxi and Hubei provinces are announced that China’s first strict water competing to take large volumes of water from resource management pilot plan will be either the Han or Yangtze Rivers to feed their implemented in the Han River basin. About the author(s) Lan Fang is a professor of economics in the Northwestern Institute of Historical Environment and Socio- Economic Development at the Shaanxi Normal University, China. Her research interests are watershed management, water use in agriculture, environmental policy and payment for ecosystem service, etc. She is particularly interested in northwestern China’s development and its water resource management. About the Global Water Forum The Global Water Forum (GWF) is an initiative of the UNESCO Chair in Water Economics and Transboundary Governance at the Australian National University. The GWF presents knowledge and insights from leading water researchers and practitioners. 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