With the swift advancement of the economy and society, the scale of groundwater exploitation and utilization has surged significantly. Varying degrees of groundwater overexploitation have arisen nationwide, and in certain instances, it has even precipitated ecological and environmental issues such as land subsidence and seawater intrusion, posing a major obstacle to the progress of ecological civilization. There exists an urgent demand for a professional and efficient body to amalgamate forces from diverse sectors, offer counsel, and coordinate efforts in a holistic manner concerning groundwater research, management, exploitation, and utilization, while exploring solutions to groundwater-related challenges.
The central government has undertaken efforts in this regard from the perspective of achieving long-term stability and with a sense of historical responsibility, aiming to rectify groundwater overexploitation and land subsidence in the North China Plain. The Hebei Plain constitutes the primary battleground for groundwater overexploitation control efforts in North China. From 2014 to 2016, the state initiated a pilot project for comprehensive management of groundwater overexploitation in Hebei Province; in 2019, three ministries jointly released the Action Plan for Comprehensive Management of Groundwater Overexploitation in North China, officially launching the comprehensive management campaign for groundwater overexploitation in the region. Hebei Province has adhered to an integrated strategy encompassing "saving, diverting, transferring, supplementing, storing, and managing" water resources, and has attained phased successes in the comprehensive management of groundwater overexploitation. In Hebei Province, the groundwater level in deep overexploited areas has risen by 9.88 meters compared to the same period in 2018, while that in shallow overexploited areas has increased by 4.26 meters. Since 2021, the Baiquan Spring Basin in Xingtai has consistently resumed spring water gushing, showcasing the remarkable impact of comprehensive overexploitation management. Although Hebei Province has achieved relatively notable outcomes in the comprehensive management of groundwater overexploitation and amassed certain work experience, groundwater levels in some areas still decline during dry years. Therefore, the comprehensive management of groundwater overexploitation in Hebei Province has not concluded; rather, it has entered a new critical phase that urgently necessitates the establishment of a professional organization to coordinate and propel the work forward.
The mission of the proposed Committee is to unite a wide array of experts, scholars, managers, practitioners, as well as relevant enterprises and public institutions in the groundwater domain. It is dedicated to fostering the sustainable utilization of groundwater, playing an active coordinating role in groundwater scientific research, management optimization, and other facets, and contributing to safeguarding the national groundwater resource security.
The strategic goals encompass constructing a communication and cooperation platform in the groundwater field, concentrating on key technological breakthroughs in groundwater overexploitation control, pollution remediation, monitoring, and early warning, organizing industry-university-research joint projects, and facilitating the transformation and application of scientific research achievements. It will assimilate advanced technologies and management experiences from both domestic and international sources, explore a long-term mechanism for the sustainable utilization of groundwater, amplify China's voice in the international groundwater arena, and serve global water governance.