Beijing, neighbors to protect water resources

The Ministry of Water Resources published a water conservation plan on Wednesday, part of the integrated development of north China's Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei Province.

The plan urges the region to save, protect and properly allocate water resources, ensure drinking water safety and restore water ecology.

The region will replace groundwater sources, reduce irrigation areas, make better use of diverted water and surface water, and mitigate groundwater overexploitation problems.

Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei Province cover an area of 216,000 square kilometers, less than 2.3 percent of the country. Using one percent of China's water, they contain nearly eight percent of the population.

"Owing to long-term development, the region has suffered serious water shortages and pollution," said Li Yuanyuan, vice director of the Water Resources and Hydropower Planning and Design General Institute.

The region can get 25.8 billion cubic meters of water input on yearly basis, 70 percent of which comes from underground, but they use of 6.8 billion cubic meters more, Li said.

Water infrastructure and sewage treatment is different in Beijing and its two neighbors, but they will use the same standards in the future.

Through the south-north water diversion project and by reusing more wastewater, the annual volume of water taken by residents in the region will be brought under 30 billion cubic meters in the future, Li said.