Each year has a theme, and the theme of World Water Day 2017 is 'Wastewater'. China Water Week also starts on March 22 on occasion with WWD fixed by the Chinese Central Government in 1988.
Along with GWPO, GWP China and its provincial/river basin partnerships have routines of promoting IWRM, raising public awareness of water security, conducting activities in primary/middle schools or communities for water education, collaborating with water related sectors and organizing training/capacity building for governmental officials at different level.
GWP China has its website updated and launched on March 22, 2017 to promote World Water Day at regional level, echoing WWD thematic campaign of GWPO globally. Locally, GWP China Hunan convened a team of volunteers from partner organizations to visit primary schools in remote mountain areas of Hunan Province. The event in Yijiawan Center School was about water saving and protection as well as ecological development of water environment. On the same day, the Ministry of Water Resources (MWR), supervisor of GWP China, announced the theme of China Water Week as to carry out the concept of green development and promote river chief system.
Fujian Province is a pioneer of promoting ‘river chief system’. GWP China Fujian has supported Fujian Provincial Government to comprehensively implement ‘river chief system’ from late 2016. The system is going to be applied widely in 2017, covering each large rivers and province in China.
(Cover photo: Children of Yangxi Primary School learn knowledge on water survey in Changle Village, Zhili Town of Huzhou City, east China's Zhejiang Province, March 22, 2017, for WWD, source by Xinhua News )