Regulation on Water Conservation

Regulation on Water Conservation

Order of the State Council of the People's Republic of China

(No. 776)

The Regulation on Water Conservation, as adopted at the 26th executive meeting of the State Council on February 23, 2024, is hereby issued, and shall come into force on May 1, 2024.

Premier: Li Qiang

March 9, 2024

Regulation on Water Conservation

Chapter I General Provisions

Article 1 This Regulation is developed in accordance with the Water Law of the People's Republic of China and other relevant laws for the purposes of promoting water conservation in the whole society, safeguarding the water safety of the state, and promoting the construction of ecological civilization and high-quality development.

Article 2 For the purposes of this Regulation, “water conservation” means the activities of rationally and effectively using water resources by strengthening water use management, changing water use methods, and taking technically feasible and economically reasonable measures to reduce the consumption of water resources, reduce the loss of water resources, and prevent the waste of water resources.

Article 3 Water conservation work shall adhere to the leadership of the Communist Party of China, implement the overall national security concept, coordinate development and security, follow the principles of overall planning, comprehensive implementation of policies, adapting to local conditions, and categorized guidance, adhere to total control, scientific allocation, and efficient utilization of water resources, adhere to the combination of constraints and incentives, and establish a water conservation mechanism led by the government, coordinated by all parties, regulated by the market, and involving public participation.

Article 4 The state shall practice water conservation, adhere to and implement the policy of giving priority to water conservation, vigorously implement the state's water conservation action, and build a water conservation society in all respects.

All entities and individuals shall fulfill their water conservation obligations in accordance with the law.

Article 5 The state shall establish a rigid constraint system for water resources, adhere to the principle of planning urban development, land use, population, and production based on water resources, optimize the layout of territorial space development and protection, promote the scientific and rational layout of population and cities, and build a modern industry system compatible with the carrying capacity of water resources.

Article 6 The people's government at or above the county level shall incorporate water conservation work into relevant plans and annual plans for national economic and social development, strengthen the organization and leadership of the water conservation work, improve and promote the implementation of water conservation policies and safeguard measures, and plan as a whole, research, and coordinate the resolution of major issues in the water conservation work.

Article 7 The water administrative department of the State Council shall be responsible for the water conservation work nationwide. The department of housing and urban-rural development of the State Council shall guide the urban water conservation work according to the division of duties. The departments of development and reform, industry and information technology, agriculture and rural affairs, natural resources, market regulation, science and technology, education, and government offices administration, among others, of the State Council shall effectively conduct the water conservation work according to the division of duties.

The relevant departments of local people's governments at and above the county level shall effectively conduct the water conservation work according to the division of duties.

Article 8 The state shall improve the policies and measures for encouraging and supporting the development of water conservation industries and scientific and technological innovation, strengthen the construction of water conservation scientific and technological innovation capabilities and industrial application, and strengthen the supporting role of scientific and technological innovation in promoting water conservation.

Article 9 The state shall strengthen water conservation publicity, education, and science popularization, enhance the water conservation awareness and skills of all the people, and promote the formation of a social consensus and good practices of conscious water conservation.

The relevant departments of the State Council, local people's governments at and above the county level and their relevant departments, township people's governments, and sub-district offices shall organize various forms of water conservation publicity, education, and knowledge popularization activities.

News media shall carry out public welfare publicity on water conservation and supervise the acts of wasting water resources through public opinion.

Chapter II Water Use Management

Article 10 The relevant departments of the State Council shall, according to the division of duties, make national water conservation plans in accordance with national economic and social development plans and national strategic plans for water resources. The local people's government at or above the county level shall organize the preparation of water conservation plans within its administrative region according to the needs of economic and social development, the conditions of water resources, and water conservation plans at higher levels.

The water conservation plan shall include the evaluation of water resource conditions, analysis of water conservation potential, water conservation objectives, major tasks and measures, and other content.

Article 11 The water administrative and standardization departments of the State Council shall organize the formulation of water use quotas of the state for major crops, key industrial products, and service industries, among others (“water use quotas of the state”). In organizing the determination of water use quotas of the state, the opinions of the relevant departments of the State Council and the people's governments of provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the Central Government shall be sought.

The people's governments of provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the Central Government may, according to actual requirements, determine local water use quotas that are stricter than the water use quotas of the state; and if the water use quotas of the state are not provided for, local water use quotas may be determined as a supplement. Local water use quotas shall be proposed by the relevant industry departments of people's governments of provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the Central Government and shall, upon examination and approval by the water administrative and standardization departments at the same level, be issued by the people's governments of provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the Central Government and reported to the water administrative and standardization departments of the State Council for recordation.

Water use quotas shall be revised in due time according to the level of economic and social development, the condition of water resources, changes in industrial structure, technological progress, and other circumstances.

Article 12 The water administrative department of the local people's government at or above the county level shall, in conjunction with relevant departments and based on the quota for water use in its administrative region as determined by water allocation plans, economic and technical conditions, water allocation plans, and groundwater control indicators, among others, make an annual water use plan for its administrative region and control the total amount of water used in a year.

Article 13 The state shall manage planned water use by entities that use water on a certain scale.

The water use plan of a water use entity shall be developed according to the water use quota and the annual water use plan of the administrative region at the place where the entity is located. For entities that directly draw groundwater and surface water for use, their water use plans shall be made by the water administrative department of the local people's government at or above the county level or the corresponding river basin management agency. For entities that use urban public water supply, their water use plans shall be made by the urban water conservation department in conjunction with the urban water supply department.

The specific measures for the administration of planned water use by water use entities shall be developed by the people's governments of provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the Central Government.

Article 14 The amount of water used shall be metered. Water from different sources and for different uses shall be metered separately.

Local people's governments at and above the county level shall strengthen the construction of metering facilities for agricultural irrigation water use. In regions with severe shortage of water resources or groundwater overexploitation, the construction of metering facilities for agricultural irrigation water use shall be completed within a prescribed time limit. I......