Water Governance and Water Use Efficiency: The Five Principles of WUA Management and Performance in China1

Wang, Jinxia, Jikun Huang, Lijuan Zhang, Qiuqiong Huang, and Scott Rozelle, 2010. Water Governance and Water Use Efficiency: The Five Principles of WUA Management and Performance in China. Journal of the American Water Resources Association (JAWRA) 46(4): 665-685. DOI: 10.1111/j.1752-1688.2010.00439.x Abstract: In recent years China has attempted to reform water management by decentralizing water management responsibilities. The overall goal of our paper is to better understand the emergence of water user associations (WUAs) in China and assess if they are adhering to the practices spelled out by the Five Principles, a set of recommended practices that are supposed to lead to successful WUA operation. Using four sets of different types of villages to examine implementation and performance, we find that World Bank-supported WUA villages (“Bank villages”) can be thought of as operating mostly according to the Five Principles. For example, the Bank villages were endowed with a more reliable water supply; were set up and were operating with a relatively high degree of farmer participation; and leaders were more consultative and the process more formal. When WUAs are run according to the Five Principals, we show that WUAs increase water use efficiency. The study also provides evidence that there is a perception in the Bank villages that water management is improving in general and that there is less conflict both within the village and among villages. Perhaps more importantly, we find that the Bank’s effort to promote WUAs extended beyond their own project villages. The openness, consultative nature, and transparency found in the Bank WUAs are also found (albeit at a somewhat lower level) in the non-Bank WUA villages.     

近52a西南地区潜在蒸散发时空变化特征

潜在蒸散发对水资源评价和气候变化均具有重要意义。采用Penman-Monteith公式和气象观测资料计算了中国西南地区90个气象站的潜在蒸散发,并采用多种统计方法分析了潜在蒸散发的时空变化特征。结果表明:(1)西南地区近52a的平均潜在蒸散发为3 209.8 mm,其中云南省潜在蒸散发最高(3 664.7 mm),其次为四川省(3 015.0 mm)、重庆市(2 972.4 mm)、贵州省(2 958.0 mm)。四季潜在蒸散发空间分布特征与年不同,从大到小排序为夏季,春季,秋季,冬季。(2)西南地区整体呈增加趋势(0.9 mm/10 a),其中31个站点呈减少趋势(p0.1),17个站点呈增加趋势(p0.1),其余站点变化趋势不显著。大部分站点春季(55.6%)和夏季(63.3%)呈减少趋势,秋季(62.2%)和冬季(58.9%)则呈增加趋势。(3)经MannKendall突变检验,该区整体潜在蒸散发的突变时间为1995年(p0.05);单个站点突变检验显示,76个站点发生突变,突变年份集中于1980s,未发生突变的站点主要分布于青藏高原东缘。整体上看,近52a来西南地区潜在蒸散发略呈增加趋势,并存在突变点,但部分站点存在相反的变化趋势,这和复杂的地形环境和气候特征有较大关系,体现出西南地区水文气象变化的独特性。     

“十五”期间解决我国工业用水问题的建议

本文针对我国工业用水存在的问题,从六个方面,提出了“十五”期间我国水资源可持续利用的对策。     

21世纪中国西部矿产资源开发的战略思考

作为全国资源的富集区,西部矿业开发要在21世纪地区经济发展中作出应有的贡献,不仅需要一个长期的开发过程,而且更需要一个明智而有效的发展战略,从西部地区资源、环境、区位条件及长期实践出发,认真把握未来市场变化、积极推动精品为先发展,努力调整地区产品结构和合理组织空间生产应成为21世纪西部矿产资源开发战略的四项基本内容,上述战略的实施不仅有束于资源的保障、中央政府的认呆和资金与技术的支持,而且有赖于整个社会环保意识的加强。     

我国东部沿海地区差距状况以及经济低谷地区的崛起

我国是区域发展差异巨大的大国之一，存在着多种尺度的区域发展差异。从中小尺工区域差异的角度，分析了我国东部沿海地区内部发展差距扩大趋势有其影响，可以看出，东部沿海地区在经济快速发展的同时，也存在着经济相对落后的低谷地区。沿海经济低谷地区分布相对集中于香港－－珠江三角洲、上海－长江三角洲、京津唐－环渤海三个经济隆起带之间，处于省际交界处。按照类型可以分为黄泛平原区、丘陵山区和沿海库区。东部经济低谷地区区位条件相对比较落后，交通可达性较差，产业结构单一，城市化水平发展严重滞后，社会经济发展比较缓慢，这些不利因素制约着该地区经济和社会的发展。根据崛起机制和途径，低谷地区发展呵以分为资源转换型、非国有经济推动型和外资推动型。建议国家修筑贯穿沿海经济低谷地区的东部沿海铁路大通道，降低沿海经济低谷地区设定标准，加快农业产业化发展，对特殊贫困地区实行特殊优惠政策，从而促进东部沿海地区经济协调发展。     

WTO规则对西部开发的影响、风险及机遇浅析

随着中国加入WTO和西部大开发战略的实施 ,依法治国无疑是改善投资环境、促进西部开发的最有效手段之一。本文根据WTO基本原则与法制经济的相互关系和影响深入浅出地论述了WTO对西部开发的影响、风险及机遇 ,并提出了针对性的策略     

水资源条件约束下西北农村地区生态经济发展对策

西北地区生态脆弱，社会经济发展相对落后。农业在全区经济中占有重要的地位，所以农村地区可持续发展对于实现西北地区可持续发展具有重要意义。通过分析西北地区水资源现状及特点和本区农村社会、经济发展现状，认为西北地区水资源严重缺乏，干旱化趋势将长期存在；农业结构不合理，乡镇工业污染严重、城镇化进程缓慢是制约本区农村地区可持续发展的主要因素。在此基础上，提出了在水资源严重缺乏条件下西北农村地区实现生态经济可持续发展的具体对策：积极调整农业结构，大力发展节水农业和推进农业产业化；加强小城镇社区生态环境基础设施建设，实施城镇化发展战略和乡镇企业可持续发展；建设生态型的小城镇，建立农村地区新型生态能源结构，加强小流域综合治理是改善农村生态环境和实现农村地区生态经济可持续发展的有效途径。     

战略环境评价在中国的发展及方法学探讨

本文在回顾和评述战略评价（SEA）的发展状况的基础上，从概念和实践的角度，对SEA方法学作了初步探讨，并提出SEA方法学研究的一般思路。     

High Environmental Cost behind Low China Price

China has won the name of the world factory being famous for exporting a great deal of and various kinds of low-price merchandise. However, most of Chinese exports are primary goods or manufactured products that create heavy pollution and require intensive use of resources. Chinese products go abroad, but their following harms stay behind. The article analyzes many obvious low-price facts in China and their concomitant terrible environmental results in detail, and points out that there are huge hidden troubles in the way of China＇s sustainable development behind her seemingly flourishing economy.     

CO_2 Emission Induced by Urban Household Consumption in China

Household consumption is one of the important factors that induce COL emission. Based on input-output model, this article calculated the intensity of CO2 emission of different income groups and seven provinces in China, and then estimated total CO2 emission induced by urban household consumption from 1995 to 2004 in China based on statistic data of household living expenditure. The results show that CO2 emission per capita induced by household consumption had increased from 1583 to 2498 kg CO2 during 1995-2004. The ratio of consumption-induced CO2 emission to total CO2 emission had risen from 19% to 30% in the past decade. Indirect CO2 emission accounted for an important part of the consumption-induced emission, the ratio of indirect emission to consumption-induced emission had risen from 69% to 79% during the same period. A significant difference in consumption-induced CO2 emission across different income groups and different regions has been observed. COs emission per capita of higher income groups and developed regions increased faster than that of lower income groups and developing regions. Changing lifestyle has driven significant increase in CO2 emission. Especially, increases in private transport expenditure （for example, vehicle expenditure） and house building expenditure are key driving factors of growth in consumption-induced COL emission. There are big differences in the amount of CO2 emission induced by change in lifestyle across different income groups and provinces. It can be expected that lower income households and developing regions will increase consumption to improve their livings with income growth in the future, which may induce much more CO2 emission. A reasonable level of CO2 emission is necessary to satisfy human needs and to improve living standard, but a noticeable fact is that CO2 emission per capita induced by household consumption in developed areas of China had reached a quite high level. Adjustment in lifestyle towards a low-carbon society is in urgent need.