Country Profile

COUNTRY PROFILE - CHINA

People's Republic of China is a big country of Eastern Asia with world's largest population (one-fifth population), located between latitude 20o to 50o and longitude 75o to 135o E. The total land of the country is about 9.6 million sq.km with 18,000 km of coastline. Of its population of 1223.9 million, 71% are involved in agriculture. China has one of the world's largest economies in terms of GDP and ranks Tenth in the leading countries for total value of goods and services produced.

China has a varied topography comprising plateaus and mountainous areas which cover 59% of the area, basins cover 19%, plains covering 12% and hilly areas occupying 10% of the total territory. In the west border of the plateau are the Himalayan Mountains, the highest in the world. The Mount Everest, in the east section of the Himalayas, has a height of 8,848 m, which is the highest land peak.

Like its topography, the rainfall in China also varies greatly. Deserts Xinjian and inner Mongolia receive less than 100 mm of rainfall. The Southern China receives 1000 mm of annual rainfall while some areas of south-eastern China receive upto 2000 mm rainfall. Northern China has a variation in rainfall from year to year where most areas receive 1000 mm, while the rainfall is 630 mm in Beijing, and 700 mm in Shenyang. Snowfall occurs only in north, where too it is infrequent and usually light.

Agriculture

Agriculture production is the back-bone of the China's economy. Agriculture in China comprises five sectors i.e. farming, forestry, animal husbandry, growing and processing of sideline products and fishery. The total per capita farmland is only 0.08 to 0.1 ha. which is one-third of the world average. However, farmland utilisation efficiency is high. China has very rich farm produce varieties as a result of multiple climate and diversified eco-environment and has the biggest cross patterning and multiple cropping coverage among the world countries. Cropping is usually once a year, or with pasture versus cropping rotations.

Based on the principle of long time consistent family-based contract system of responsibility for rural development, policies prevail to improve the unified/diversified double-level management system, to gradually strengthen the collective economy, to create and improve social farming service system, farm produce market system and state rural assistance and protection systems, to vitalize agriculture through science and education, and to encourage high-yield, good quality and high efficiency farming and water saving farming.

Irrigation and Drainage

According to the different demands of crops in different areas and different natural conditions for irrigation and drainage, the whole country can be divided into three zones (except Qingzang cold plateau without agricultural production) - perennial irrigation zone where the average precipitation is less than 400 mm, the unsteady irrigation zone where the average annual precipitation is between 400 mm to 1000 mm, and the supplementary irrigation zone where the average annual precipitation is more than 1000 mm.

Irrigation has been practiced in China from earliest days. According to Chinese legend, the Yellow river burst its banks and rushed across like a wild animal and it took nine long years for the Great Yu to clean the silt in the rivers and pass it on to the sea. China has a large number of rivers and abundant water resources. There are more than 1500 rivers draining an area of about 1000 sq. km. each. Yangtze, Yellow, Huai, Hai pearl, Liao, Heilong, Songhua, Yaluzangbu, Lancang and Nu are the main rivers. The total internal resources of China are estimated to be about 2800 BCM, out of which it was withdrawing 460 BCM and allocating 87% to agriculture, 7% to industries and 6% for domestic uses. As per the records of 1995, the irrigated area of the country stood second in the world at 49.86 M. ha, after India (76 M.ha - 1995 figure).

Development and present situation of irrigation and drainage

Irrigation area : Up to 1996, the total effective irrigation area reached to 54.75 M. ha, which is three times as much as in 1949. Of this area, 51.16 M. ha is farmlands, 2.31 M. ha is forest land and orchard irrigation area, 0.81 ha. is grazing land irrigation area and 0.467 ha. is for other purposes.

Pumping drainage and irrigation area : Up to 1996, the installed capacity of drainage and irrigation machines reached 39.72 M. KW. The total pumping drainage and irrigation area is 20.71 M. ha., of which 12.46 M. ha. is with stationary pumping stations and 3.36 M. ha. is with movable stations. The sprinkler and drip irrigation area is 0.631 M. ha. while the pumping drainage area is 4.254 M. ha.

Pumping wells : The number of pumping wells is 3.73 M. ha. as of 1996, of which deep wells are 0.29 M in number. The well irrigated area is 13.36 M. ha. accounting for 24% of the total irrigation area.

Waterlogging control and salinity-alkalinity improvement: The total waterlogging control area in the country is 24.4 M. ha. of which 83% of area has been brought under waterlogging control. An area of 5.5 M. ha. has been brought under salinity-alkalinity improvement.

Irrigation Districts and reservoirs : The number of irrigation districts over 666.7 ha. is 5606, with a total area of 22.06 M. ha. which accounts for 43% of the whole irrigated area. Out of this, 183 are large irrigation areas each with more than 20 thousand ha. area. The number of reservoirs is 84,905 with a total capacity of 457.1 BCM. Out of these reservoirs, 394 are large-sized reservoirs with storage of 72.4 BCM and 81893 are small sized reservoirs with storage of 58.6 BCM. Almost all reservoirs are used to irrigate farmland, while a few are for multiple purposes, used for flood control and power generation.

Rural water supply : Up to 1996,183.53 M. population and 106.63 M. Cattleheads who had drinking water problems were supplied with drinking water, covering respectively 74% and 67% of the total. Presently, the number of towns with drinking water facility is 25472, constituting 53% of all the towns in China.

Water and soil conservation : Out of the total soil and water eroded area, improvement and control over an area of 69321 sq.km (42.5%) has been done. Minor watershed improvement has been done in an area of 20712 sq.km out of the above.

Small sized rural hydro-power station : There are 45174 small sized hydropower stations with a total installed capacity of 19.12 M. KW.

There are more than 5000 large and medium sized irrigation districts in China, which are the main production areas of commodity food and cash crops. These areas are characterized by fertile soil, economic prosperity, and strong disaster management facility. The major achievements on irrigation project construction have been obtained in the Huang-Huai-Hai Plain, the middle and lower reaches of Yangtze River, all seashore provinces in south-eastern China, south-western China, the upper and middle reaches of Yellow River, north-western inland region, and north-eastern region.

Irrigation District Management

In China, all kinds of irrigation are managed according to "Regulations for Irrigation Area Management" stipulated by Ministry of Water Resources. In 1983, the Ministry of Water Resources also issued "Management System Reform Suggestion on Irrigation Districts Owned by the State". The China Irrigation Districts Association was set up in 1991 with the tasks to study the large sized irrigation areas in China to promote irrigation districts construction and management. At present, there are 131 sub-associations in various districts all over China.

Drainage

In China, the main task of water conservation is to alleviate waterlogged area and ameliorate saline-alkaline lands. Statistically, the waterlogged area is 22.4 M. ha., and saline-alkaline constitute 7.7 M. ha., most of which are in north China.

Reform and Development on Irrigation and Drainage

During 1990's the reform of the Chinese economic system intensified. During this period, the conventional planning economy was transferred into market economy in China. During this period only, the irrigation and drainage were developed extensively. The reform in water sector in China is focussed on the establishment of five management systems viz. -

• Multi-channel, multi-level investment system;

• Scientific and complete water assets operation and management system;

• Rational and complete pricing system;

• Complete and effective legal and regulation system;

• High quality and efficient service system.

This kind of reform played a very important role on the development of rural water conservation. More than 123 laws, which were planned by the Ministry of Water Resources have been completed and these include "Water Law", "Law on Water and Soil Conservation", "Law on Water Pollution Control", "Law on Flood Control" etc. In the water sector, 15 laws have been promulgated by the State Council, 44 regulations by Ministries and 630 local regulations at provincial level.

Some of the main problems in irrigation and drainage construction and management are the following -

• Shortage of water resources, water pollution and the conflict between water supply and demand for agricultural and industrial uses. This is a fundamental problem in water sector in China.

• Old irrigation and drainage facilities, especially the state owned large and medium irrigation districts and pumping stations, providing low benefits.

• Slow reform of management organisations at the root level.

• Encroachment on irrigation areas due to urbanisation and various constructions.

In March 1996, the Fourth Session of the Eighth National People's Congress approved the Ninth Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development and the long-range objectives up to the year 2010.

ICID and China

China joined the ICID family in the year 1963 and has since then taken active part in its activities. The 42nd meeting of the International Executive Council (IEC) of ICID was held in Beijing in 1991 and 19th Congress on Irrigation and Drainage and 56th IEC was held in Beijing in 2005. The National Committee of the country is comprised of officers from Ministry of Water Resources and Electric Power, and representatives of Chinese Society of Hydraulic Engineering and scientific organisations concerned with promoting and furthering the objectives of the National Committee. The Governing Council of the Committee comprises one elected Chairman, 3-5 Vice Chairmen, one Secretary General and 2-3 Deputy Secretaries General. China has two Vice President Honoraire (Prof. Qishun Zhang, Prof. Xu Zhifang and Prof. Cai Lingen), one Vice President in Chair (Dr. Gao Zhanyi ) and is represented in theee Workbodies of ICID including Permanent Finance Committee. At present, Mr. Daixin Li is the Chairman, Chinese National Committee on Irrigation and Drainage (CNCID).