Global Water Partnership - GWP

National Water Network achieves strong results

China’s National Water Network strategy successfully facilitated water financing for a range of projects in 2021. It worked to secure 757.6 billion yuan (110 billion euros) for investment in water development, initiated 62 new water-related programmes, upgraded 67 projects, and completed 146 programmes. Rural areas were a particular focus of the strategy, with investment resulting in the repair and maintenance of 99,000 water supply projects. Safe drinking water was provided for 42.63 million farmers. GWP China Chair Cai Qihua delivered the strategy to the government. Much of the material was drafted by GWP China’s Technical Committee.

Celebrating water sharing between Fujian and Taiwan

In 1995, a project was undertaken to pipe water from Fujian Province in China to Kinmen (Taiwan Province). GWP China played a role in the development of the project which was completed in 2018 – resulting in drinking water for the people of Kinmen.

To commemorate this achievement, GWP China Fujian Senior Technical Committee Advisor, Guoliang Chen, former Chair of GWP China Fujian and member of the Standing Committee of the ninth Fujian Provincial People’s Congress, in early 2022 donated a publication titled ‘Drink Water from The Same River – 23 Years of Water Sharing Between Fujian & Taiwan’ to the Fujian–Taiwan Museum in Quanzhou, Fujian Province. The publication contains key data, challenges, and solutions, and highlights the importance of an integrated approach.

Regulating groundwater in Shaanxi Province

In November 2021, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang signed a State Council Decree unveiling a regulation on the management of groundwater. The new regulation, which took effect in December, sets out specific rules for surveying and planning, conservation and protection, over-exploitation, pollution control, and management.

The regulation follows work by GWP China Shaanxi to establish groundwater regulations at a regional level – which, due to its success, gained the attention of the central government.

The new national regulations include designated areas where the exploitation of groundwater is prohibited or restricted. They also define rules to prevent groundwater pollution caused by development.