Water Resources Development and Management World Water Council Editor Global Water Security Lessons Learnt and Long-Term Implications Water Resources Development and Management Series Editors Asit K. Biswas, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore Cecilia Tortajada, Institute of Water Policy, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore Editorial Board Dogan Altinbilek, Ankara, Turkey Francisco González-Gómez, Granada, Spain Chennat Gopalakrishnan, Honolulu, USA James Horne, Canberra, Australia David J. Molden, Kathmandu, Nepal Olli Varis, Helsinki, Finland More information about this series at http://www.springer.com/series/7009 World Water Council Editor Global Water Security Lessons Learnt and Long-Term Implications 123 Editor World Water Council Marseille France ISSN 1614-810X ISSN 2198-316X (electronic) Water Resources Development andManagement ISBN978-981-10-7912-2 ISBN978-981-10-7913-9 (eBook) https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-7913-9 LibraryofCongressControlNumber:2017962990 ©SpringerNatureSingaporePteLtd.2018 Thisworkissubjecttocopyright.AllrightsarereservedbythePublisher,whetherthewholeorpart of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission orinformationstorageandretrieval,electronicadaptation,computersoftware,orbysimilarordissimilar methodologynowknownorhereafterdeveloped. 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Theregisteredcompanyaddressis:152BeachRoad,#21-01/04GatewayEast,Singapore189721,Singapore Preface I Join Hands to Meet Water Security Challenges and Promote Global Sustainable Development Water is the foundation of life, the origin of civilisation, and the cornerstone of ecology. Water security and human fate are closely intertwined. To bring the concernandattentionoftheinternationalcommunitytotheissueofwatersecurity, build global consensus on water governance, and boost exchange and sharing of water governance experience and technologies, the Ministry of Water Resources ofthePeople’sRepublicofChinaandtheWorldWaterCouncilhaveco-sponsored the compilation of this academic report on world water security. After more than oneyearofjointeffortsbymanyexpertsandstaffers,thisreportisnowavailablefor publication. I would like to extend our gratitude to the World Water Council and other related parties for their close cooperation in the publication of this report; to Honorary President Loïc Fauchon for his great attention, long-term research, and insightful opinions on water security issues; to President Benedito Braga for the important leadership and advocacy role played by the World Water Council under his eminent leadership; and to our experts, scholars, and staff members for their hard work. At present and for the foreseeable future, due to global population growth, economicdevelopment,andacceleratedurbanisationandindustrialisation,coupled with the intensifying impact of climate change, water security problems will become increasingly prominent, posing a major challenge to global sustainable development.Intermsofwaterinfrastructure,countriesacrosstheworldarefacing commonproblemssuchaslagginginfrastructuredevelopment,ageinganddisrepair ofwaterworks,insufficientfundsformaintenanceandrepair,inadequateinvestment andfinancingcapacity,andpoorresponsetofloodanddroughtdisasters.According to some estimates, the needed investment in the water sector will exceed 1 trillion USDby2025.Withtheglobaleconomycontinuingtoexperiencegreatuncertainty, the lack of water investment and financing will become increasingly salient. In terms of water and sanitation, more than 1.1 billion people lack access to safe v vi PrefaceI drinking water and 2.6 billion people do not have access to sanitation facilities at the time of the publication of this report, and 650,000 children die of water-borne diseases every year. In terms of water and food, it is expected that by 2050 global grain output will need to increase by 60% and agricultural water use by 55% to meetthefooddemandofthegrowingworldpopulation.Owingtoworseningwater scarcity, global food security is exposed to significant risks. In terms of water and ecology,overthepast100years,thetotalareaofwetlandsintheworldhasshrunk bynearlyhalf,and40%oftheriversonearthhavesufferedfromvariousdegreesof pollution. Untreated wastewater currently affects the lives of 1.8 billion people. In terms of water hazards,climatechange is increasing the frequency and severity of catastrophic events. Natural disasters such as floods, waterlogging, droughts, hur- ricanes,andstormsurgeshavesevereimpacts.Globally,floodskillmorethan7000 peopleannually,onaverage.Infuture,adverseimpactsofwaterhazardswillloom further on the horizon. In terms of water governance, competence in water resourcesdevelopment,utilisation,conservation,andmanagementvaryenormously between countries, with capacity-building facing a major shortfall. Promising approaches such as integrated water resources management and river basin man- agementhaveyettobepractisedextensively.Globalcapacityinwater governance is in urgent need offurther improvement. Inrecentyears,thetopicofwater security hasattractedcloseattentionfromthe international community, thanks to vigorous and enthusiastic appeals and promo- tionbyinternationalorganisationssuchastheUnitedNationsandtheWorldWater Council.InSeptember2015,theUnitedNationsSustainableDevelopmentSummit adopted the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, incorporating water as a dedicated goal. It emphasised universal access to water and sanitation and set up explicit targets for drinking water security, wastewater treatment and recycled use, wateruseefficiencyandintegratedmanagement,ecologicalsystemrestoration,and water-related disaster management. It fully demonstrates the importance of water securityinthecontextofglobalsustainabledevelopmentandembodiesthestrategic consensus of the international community on the need to respond to water chal- lenges and safeguard water security. Withitslargepopulationandlimitedwaterresources,plusunevendistributionof waterresourcesintimeandspace,Chinaisthedevelopingcountryfacingthemost arduous task of water governance. The Chinese government attaches great impor- tance to the issue of water security. In response to people’s aspirations for a better life, China upholds the concept of the harmonious coexistence of humankind and nature, pursues green development with ecological integrity prioritised, incorpo- rates safeguarding water security into theoveralllayout ofits modernisation drive, placesitatoptheagendaofecologicalcivilisationdevelopment,andhasresearched anddevelopedanationalstrategyforwatersecurity.Thoughts,concepts,andpolicy measures on water governance and management with Chinese characteristics have taken shape. PrefaceI vii (1) Insist on prioritising water saving and toughen management of water resour- ces. China enshrines water conservation as a national strategy, has launched national water conservation actions, is implementing the most stringent water resources management system, and follows the principle of determining water demand,urbandevelopment,andproductionoutputinlinewithwaterresources availability. Among other measures, China has intensified the strict control of water resources by means of the Three Red Lines: capping total water use, improving water use efficiency, and restricting the pollution load in water functionalzones.Asaresult,Chinapractisesdualcontrolofwaterconsumption in both quantity and intensity, strictly curbs new water use by industries with redundantcapacity,isscalinguphigh-efficiencyirrigationattheregionallevel, and promotes industrial and domestic water saving, in a bid to build a water-saving society on all fronts. (2) Stick to joint prevention and control to promote the protection of the water environment. All walks of life will be involved in improving the water envi- ronment and addressing water environmental issues at their roots. Specific interventions include implementing the Action Plan on Control of Water Pollution, improving the mechanisms for water environment monitoring and early warning, tougher regulation of water function zones by level and cate- gory,strictquantitativecontrolofpollutiondischargeintoriversandlakes,and stronger protection of drinking water source areas. Efforts are being made to coordinate treatment of pollution on land and in water, to practise basin-wide joint prevention and control, and to adopt such measures as treating pollution sources, curtailing pollution discharge, diverting clean water for dilution pur- poses,cleaningupanddredgingpollutedrivercourses,andapplyingbiological technologies, to reinforce comprehensive and all-round water environment harnessing. (3) Upholdsystematicgovernanceandacceleraterestorationofthewaterecology. China has redoubled its efforts to better manage and protect river headwaters, ecologicallysensitiveareas,andwatersourcenurturingareas,pushingforward water and soil conservation initiatives, toughening control over the usage of water bodies and shorelines of rivers and lakes, turning once-reclaimed farm- landbackintolakesandwetlands,andexpandingtheecologicalspaceofrivers andlakes.Inaddition,groundwaterutilisationisunder strict management,and areas of groundwater over-exploitation are subject to integrated harnessing, with a view towards gradually restoring the balance between extraction and replenishment. Low-impact development and urban ‘sponge’ construction are being promoted, and water ecological civilisation is being advanced in both urban and rural areas. (4) Adheretoscientificplanningandimprovethenetworkofwaterfacilities.China has formulated national medium- and long-term water resources development plans, as well as special planning relating to water utilisation for different purposes. Steps have been taken to develop water resources in a scientific viii PrefaceI manner, optimise the layout of water engineering projects, and boost support for water programmes in poverty-stricken regions. China has also sped up the construction of major waterworks, key water-control projects, rural water infrastructure, and engineering systems for flood control, drought relief, and disaster reduction. In the meanwhile, we are pushing forward water-system connection of rivers, lakes, and reservoirs, and establishing modernised net- works of water facilities. (5) Persist in reform and innovation to improve water governance mechanisms. The ‘river chief’system, in which governmentofficials atevery level are fully responsible for the protection of rivers and lakes in their jurisdiction, is being rolledoutacrossthecountry.Dedicatedpoliciesarebeingformulatedforevery rivertoimproveitsmanagementandprotection.Amongothermeasures,China has increased input from public finance and attracted investments offinancial and social capital in water conservancy. We have built more robust water-pricingmechanismsandwater-savingincentives,introducingblocktariff and escalating-tariff systems for water use above allowed quotas. China has alsospedupthedevelopmentofwaterrightsandwatermarkets,establishedan ecologicalcompensationmechanism,perfectedthewaterlegalframework,and fosteredinnovationinwaterscienceandtechnologytopromotetheprogressof ‘smart water conservancy’. (6) Encourage public participation and pool resources from the whole society. In this regard, China has refined the government responsibility system by evalu- atingitscompetenceinwatermanagement.Byincorporatingindicatorssuchas consumptionofwaterresources,damagetothewaterenvironment,andbenefits for the water ecology into the system for comprehensive assessment of eco- nomic and social development, China is promoting a new pattern of green development. Through public communication and education on water resour- ces, China intends to create a civilised social trend of saving water, protecting water, and loving water, and foster synergy across the whole society to value and develop water. Thanks to persistent efforts, China has ensured the food security of 21% of the world’s population, with 6% of the world’s freshwater resources and 9% of its arable land resources, and safeguarded the country’s medium-to-high-rate economic growth with only a marginal increase in total amount of water consumption. This itself is a major contribution to global sustainable development. Addressing the issue of water security is a very complicated systematic endeavour that requires concerted efforts from all countries around the globe. Our world is confronted with many tough challenges in achieving the water-related targets on the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda. With the experiences of China and other countries in mind, I believe we should focus our efforts on the following aspects. PrefaceI ix (1) Developnationalstrategiestoensurerobusttop-leveldesignsforsafeguarding water security. Water security strategy deserves an important place in the overall national development strategy. The interdependence between water security, food security, ecological security, flood control security, and energy securityshouldbetakenintocomprehensiveconsideration,inordertodevelop forward-looking, integrated, targeted, and coherent water policies. Stronger political will is required to build a consensus among various stakeholders and turning commitments into practical actions. (2) Further develop water conservancy to reinforce the foundation for socio-economic development. Water conservancy, as an important foundation forsocio-economicdevelopment,requiresscientificplanning,generaldesignof and allocation of resources to specific programmes. Speeding up the con- struction of water infrastructure will enhance the capacity for safeguarding water security. Thus, the international community should assign infrastructure construction a larger share in their aid programmes and help developing countries gradually overcome their deficiencies in water infrastructure. (3) Advocate water saving and promote the formation of green development pat- terns. It is imperative to assign a prominent status to the conservation and protection of water resources; to promote the formation of spatial layouts, industrial structures, production modes, and consumption patterns that are conducive to the conservation and protection of water resources; and to facil- itate theadaptation ofsocio-economic development tothecarrying capacityof water resources, water environment, and water ecology. (4) Augment financial input to the water sector and establish a sound and multi-source water investment and financing regime. As water is foundational andprobonoinnature,thegovernmentneedstoallocatemorepublicfinanceto the water sector. In the meanwhile, we should make full use of market mechanisms, actively explore the trading of water rights and financing models such as public–private partnership and build–operate–transfer, and broaden water investment and financing channels, in order to increase the effective provision of public goods related to water. (5) Insist on comprehensive implementation of policies and measures and accel- erate the fulfilment of key water development targets. The resource, environ- mental, and ecological functions of water should be taken into comprehensive consideration. Domestic, production, and ecological water use should be pro- vided for in a coordinated way. All stakeholders should be engaged in the greaterparticipationandstrongersupport.Synergeticeffortsshouldbemadeto promote achievements of those targets on the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda that are related to water use efficiency, drinking water safety, wastewater treatment, ecological restoration, river basin management, and water disaster prevention and mitigation. (6) Strengtheninternationalcooperationandimprovetheglobalwatergovernance system. It isvital toactively organisemulti-level policy and strategy dialogues in extensive areas. We should push forward pragmatic cooperation between government departments, research institutes, water companies, and relevant