Water trading 'the key' to Chinese water crisis

Edie.net (UK): A new regulation which could introduce water trading in China could hold the key to achieving water sustainability in the country, according to international experts. The Interim Measure for Water Quantity Allocation, which came into effect in February, sets out the principles, mechanisms and practices for water allocation across the country.

Experts at the US-based environmental research organisation the Worldwatch Institute said the rules could reverse the trend of water scarcity and pollution by opening Chinese markets for water trading. The availability of fresh water per head of population in China is only one quarter of the world average, while water use per unit of GDP was four times the world average.

Yingling Liu, manager of the Worldwatch Institute's China Programme, said: "The traditional practices of promoting conservation through education, moral persuasion, and technological innovation are no longer able to keep up with China's rising water demand. "By allocating water rights and introducing market-based tools, the new regulation may accelerate progress toward water saving, protection, and pollution control." Ms Liu said that there have been several successful trial efforts of water trading in the past eight years….

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