Presenter: Mrs. Juan Li, Pearl River Hydraulic Research Institute, Pearl River Water Conservancy Commission
Sub-theme
6. Innovation for Water Governance and Management
Topic
6-4. Integrated river basin management
Body
Along with the decreasing runoff in dry season of the Pearl River since 2000, serious salt tide upstream occurred in the estuarine area, intermittent water cut off occurred in the Delta region, and drinking water salinity increased, bringing huge threat to water supply safety and ecological safety in the Greater Bay Area. Under the severe drought and water shortage in the autumn of 2004, the most serious one since 1951 in the Pearl River Delta region, intense salty tide caused big risk of drinking water supply interruption in Zhuhai and Macao. After a series of urgent conferences between National Defense Administration and Ministry of Water Resources, the emergency water transfer scheme was launched to press salt and replenish fresh water in the Pearl River, and successfully guaranteed the water supply safety in Macao and Zhuhai during Spring Festival. Beginning from 2005, the exploration and practice of the Pearl River water regulation in dry season in the last 18 years yielded fruitful results. From passive implementation of salt pressing and fresh water supplement, emergency water transfer, to the establishment of the Pearl River Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters, the preparation and promulgation of the Special Plan for Ensuring the Safety of Water Supply in Macao and Zhuhai, the establishment of water dispatching organizations level by level and the definition of water dispatching responsibilities, as well as the completion of water security measures and the improvement of water dispatching technology, all these effective actions formed a relatively integral water dispatching management system, and accumulated much experience. The study comprehensively reviews and systematically analyzes the development process of the Pearl River water regulation in dry season, divides the development process into three stages according to important iconic events, summarizes the regulation process of each stage, and objectively evaluates the effect and impact of the Pearl River water regulation in dry season on regulation management, society and economy since its implementation.