The two sessions are concerned about the water issue: Do not let the water crisis slow down the "China speed"

Water security issues are more acute

 

Q: In the previous section, the north suffered a major drought, and water pollution incidents in many cities made people feel that the “water crisis” is approaching. What kind of water situation is China facing?

 

Zhou Jianjun: Due to the increase in water use brought about by global warming and national economic development, China's water resources problem has become increasingly serious in recent years. In the northern rivers represented by the Yellow River, river runoff has been greatly reduced over the past decades, and water pollution has caused serious shortages of water resources in the northern regions. The situation in the Yangtze River Basin in recent years is not optimistic. In the past decade or so, the amount of upstream water has also decreased. A large number of research results at home and abroad believe that the future climate warming will increase the trend of flooding and drought in China, which will make the water security problem more acute and seriously affect economic and social development.

 

Wang Shucheng: There are several main aspects of our national water work: First, flood control, the most important task is to prevent reservoir dam failure under extreme climatic conditions. This is absolutely impossible to solve problems; the second is drought resistance, and the focus is on food production. The area's drought resistance capacity construction; the third is to control sewage. The most important water problem in China is water pollution. The overall situation of the water environment has not improved fundamentally, which has seriously affected the sustainable development of the economy and society. These issues need to be highly valued and gradually resolved. I believe that as long as we have established a set of corresponding systems and responses, we should not be too nervous about the water crisis.

 

Agriculture needs to improve water efficiency

 

Q: The water issue is related to sustainable agricultural development and national food security. However, agricultural water consumption accounts for more than 70% of the national water consumption. How can agricultural production improve water and efficiency?

 

Zhou Jianjun: China's current use of agriculture in agriculture is the most important way to solve the problem of water resources by promoting the development of agriculture from traditional production methods, management models and water-using technologies to modern agriculture. We may wish to establish a large-scale modern water-saving agricultural demonstration zone in the water-deficient areas in the north, and carry out reform pilots from agricultural production methods and technical means in light of the practices of Israel and other countries, combined with the actual conditions of rural China. I suggest that the relevant departments can choose Beijing, Jiaodong Peninsula, Ningxia and other places as pilots according to economic conditions, and explore the experience through two “five-year plans” to achieve large-scale promotion in the northern region by 2020.

 

Zhang Shaojun: Some time ago, Linyi City also experienced drought, but the degree of drought was relatively light. This was mainly due to the fact that many small and medium-sized reservoirs played a role in water regulation: in the case of ensuring flood control during the rainy season, store as much water as possible. Water is released in the dry season. Another is to actively promote agricultural water-saving irrigation techniques such as sprinkler irrigation and drip irrigation to improve water use efficiency. The combined use of these measures has greatly reduced the loss of drought.

 

Control pollution by system, technology and determination

 

Q: Now the problem of seawater pollution in the rivers and lakes and the safety of drinking water in cities is becoming more and more prominent. How can we effectively control water pollution and protect the water environment?

 

Wang Shucheng: There is a process in the governance of water pollution. The most important thing is to adjust the country's economic development model and industrial structure; secondly, establish a set of emissions trading system and use economic means to control the total amount of pollutants. For example, according to each river division functional area, determine the total amount of pollutant discharge in each functional area, and then quota management. After obtaining the pollutant emission index, each enterprise needs to purchase the corresponding indicator or emission right if it exceeds the standard, and the enterprise can also transfer the saved emission index to the market and sell it to other enterprises to obtain market income.

 

Zhu Jimin: As a large steel company, Shougang's energy conservation and environmental protection tasks are very important. In recent years, we have continuously researched and improved our technical level, and energy conservation and environmental protection have always been ahead of the industry. Taking Caofeidian Shougang New Plant as an example, we use the current circular economy and green manufacturing concept to design. In the use of water resources, half of the water resources are destined to meet the water demand of steel production, and the sewage is treated and all recovered. use.

 

Zhang Shaojun: For the city, sewage treatment is a common problem. The experience accumulated by Linyi in the comprehensive management of the Weihe River is to control the sewage by establishing a scientific management mechanism, such as separating sewage through pipelines and adopting strict pollution control measures. In order to control water pollution, in recent years, we have decided to close more than 4,000 small businesses and build 22 sewage treatment plants. The improvement of the water environment has greatly promoted the economic and social development of Linyi.

 

Use economic means to promote water conservation

 

Q: China has been advocating water conservation. Why is it that the waste of water resources has been cured for a long time? How can we fundamentally establish a water-saving mechanism to truly build a water-saving society?

 

Wang Shucheng: To establish a water-saving society, the most fundamental thing is to establish a water resources management system based on water rights and water market theory, and to form a water-saving mechanism based on economic means. In recent years, we have used these two theories to find a system of total control and quota allocation. Taking the Yellow River as an example, the annual water volume is 58 billion cubic meters. First, the ecological water volume is left out and then distributed to 9 provinces, autonomous regions and cities along the coast. This is the total amount of control. Specific to the industry, textile industry, printing and dyeing industry, agriculture, social water, there are quotas. For example, a family of four people must have a daily water quota of 12 cubic meters. The water price in the quota is cheap, and the poor can afford it. If it is over used, it will pay more. As a result, water use efficiency and efficiency have been improved.

 

Zhang Shaojun: Why is there a lot of waste of water and water pollution? Because in many people's minds, water and air are a cheap and inexhaustible resource. The most fundamental thing in the management and utilization of water resources is to improve the system, introduce market mechanisms, appropriately adjust the price of water, and implement the paid use of water. In the past few years, the state has repeatedly stressed the need to adjust the price of water. Of course, it must be treated differently. There are different prices for agricultural water, industrial water, and residential water. But overall, clarifying water prices is the most fundamental.