my country’s re-designation of groundwater over-exploitation areas provides basic support to ensure people’s livelihood-Xinhua English.news.cn

Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, 13 August

Xinhua News Agency reporter Liu Shiping

The Ministry of Water Resources recently announced that it has launched a new round of delimitation of groundwater overexploitation areas, and strives to complete the delineation of groundwater overexploitation areas within one and a half years, with a view to gradually reducing groundwater overexploitation and achieving a balance of groundwater extraction and replenishment.

What is the current situation of groundwater overexploitation in my country? What is the situation of over-exploitation governance? Where is the “new” in the new round of groundwater overexploitation zones, so as to accurately grasp the status of groundwater overexploitation, and provide basic support for protecting water resources, improving the ecological environment, and ensuring people’s livelihood?

The Ministry of Water Resources’ previous evaluation of the national groundwater overexploitation areas during the 2001-2010 evaluation period showed that 21 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities across the country have different degrees of groundwater overexploitation. The mining volume is 15.8 billion cubic meters.

According to Du Bingzhao, deputy director of the Department of Water Resources Management of the Ministry of Water Resources, my country’s groundwater overexploitation is mainly concentrated in the northern region-the area of ​​overexploitation and the amount of overexploitation exceed 90% of the country.

The reporter learned during the interview that over-extraction of groundwater has caused many ecological and environmental problems, such as threats to the safety of water supply, causing the groundwater level in some areas to continue to drop, forming a landing funnel, and depleting groundwater resources. At the same time, it leads to the degradation of the ecosystem, causing some rivers and lakes to shrink and the rivers to dry up.

Du Bingzhao said that in recent years, through groundwater overexploitation, the national groundwater supply has dropped from a peak of 113.4 billion cubic meters in 2012 to 89.2 billion cubic meters in 2020. The rate of groundwater level decline in North China has slowed down, and some areas have stopped falling and rebounded.

On the other hand, my country’s current delineation of groundwater overexploitation areas during the evaluation period from 2001 to 2010 has been difficult to accurately reflect the latest situation of groundwater overexploitation.

“In recent years, due to the advancement of groundwater overexploitation control work in some areas, the amount of groundwater extraction has decreased; in some areas, due to economic and social development, the amount of groundwater extraction has shown an increasing trend. The groundwater system is intertwined with natural factors and human factors. Under the circumstances, new dynamic changes are shown.” Du Bingzhao said that it is imperative to carry out a new round of groundwater over-exploitation zone delineation based on the data from 2011 to 2020.

The delimitation of groundwater over-exploitation zones is the basis for the development of groundwater over-exploitation control, groundwater management and protection. So, what is the difference between the new round of groundwater overexploitation zone designation and the past?

Du Bingzhao said that the groundwater over-exploitation area has a better delineation basis, more detailed divisions, and stronger technical means. With 2020 as the current level year, the groundwater aquifer group in the plain area and the hilly area with a high degree of groundwater development and utilization will be included in the delineation, and the groundwater level, the amount of groundwater development and utilization, and the ecology and geology caused by the exploitation of groundwater will be extensively collected and analyzed. On the basis of environmental issues, research and delineate groundwater over-exploitation areas.

At the same time, according to the over-exploitation area’s groundwater extraction coefficient, the rate of groundwater level drop, and the degree of problems caused by groundwater extraction, the over-exploitation area is divided into general over-exploitation areas and severe over-exploitation areas; according to the size of the over-exploitation area, the over-exploitation areas Divided into super-large, large, medium, and small groundwater over-exploitation areas; according to the name of the city-level and above administrative districts where the groundwater over-exploitation area is located, and the classification, classification, and serial number of the over-exploitation area, the drainage and over-exploitation areas are named.

Du Bingzhao said that the results of the new round of groundwater over-exploitation zone delineation will lay the foundation for accurately grasping the state of water resources in my country, accurately carrying out groundwater management and control, implementing groundwater over-exploitation control, and exerting the rigid restraint role of water resources, so as to protect and improve water resources. The ecological environment and the protection of people’s livelihood provide important basic support.