Water resources of China

The average annual precipitation in China

The water resources of China are affected by both severe water shortages and severe growing population and rapid economic development as well as lax environmental oversight have increased in a large scale the water demand and pollution. China has responded by measures such as rapidly building out the water infrastructure and increasing regulation as well as exploring a number of further technological solutions.

Due to continual economic growth and population size, China is one of the world’s leading water consumers. China withdraws roughly 600 billion cubic meters of water on a yearly basis. The country surpasses the United States by 120 billion cubic meters and falls short of India by 160 billion cubic meters.[1] For this reason, China’s domestic policy remains one of the most vital on a national and international scale.

Issues relating to water quality and quantity are likely primary limiting factors in China’s sustainable economic and infrastructural development.[2]

  1. ^ Ritchie, Hannah; Roser, Max (2017). "Water Use and Stress". Our World in Data. Retrieved February 28, 2021.
  2. ^ Wang, Qiang; Jiang, Rui; Li, Rongrong (2018). "Decoupling analysis of economic growth from water use in City: A case study of Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou of China". Sustainable Cities and Society. 41: 86–94. doi:10.1016/j.scs.2018.05.010. ISSN 2210-6707. S2CID 115516809.