Water authorities have been urged to take the opportunity of Western China’s much-talked about development to accelerate water conservancy projects in the region. Water authorities should contribute to infrastructure construction in keeping with the central government’s Western development strategy, Wang Shucheng, minister of water resources said at a national conference held yesterday in Beijing. “The status of water resources has been a key factor restricting Western China’s development for decades because the west, particularly Northwest China, is rich in land resources, but plagued by the scarcity of water resources and worsening water and soil erosion problems,” Wang said. Wang predicted one of Western China’s most attractive areas for development might be Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region because of its vast farmland resources. Another benefit of western development “is probably the potential construction of hydropower projects in the Yellow River’s upstream and Southwest China’s Yunnan, Guizhou and Sichuan provinces,” Wang said.

 Wang also said he hopes the western development strategy can help China to make up its mind about an ambitious plan to divert water from the Yangtze River in the south to the Yellow River in the north. Such water transfer would be a fundamental way to address worsening water scarcity in North and Northwest China’s semi-arid areas. Western China includes Tibet and Xinjiang, and provinces in the country’s northwest and southwest parts. Water conservancy projects in the region’s different provinces must be drafted in line with local natural and social conditions, Wang said. Wang was confident that Xinjiang, which accounts for one-sixth of China’s total territory, would be the key area for development. But, using water from the region’s Talimu (Tarim) River has to be done carefully.

 Excessive use of the river’s water upstream has dried up downstream areas, causing one-third of poplars to die over the past few years with worsening desertification on the lower reaches of the river, Wang said. Unreasonable water use from the Yellow River is also causing drying problems downstream. While intensifying water conservancy projects in western areas, top priority should be given to the optimal use of water resources and water-efficient irrigation, Wang said. Wang said his ministry is trying to come up with an overall plan for optimal utilization of Western China’s water resources with a group of key projects being considered. These can be classified as engineering projects, including hydropower stations and flood control facilities and non-engineering projects, such as water and soil erosion control measures. “With respect to the development of the West, water authorities at all levels should evaluate projects thoroughly and work to protect the region’s fragile environment,” Wang said.