About

GWP’s VISION is a water secure world. Our MISSION is to advance governance and management of water resources for sustainable and equitable development.

OUR UNIQUE VALUE: GWP mobilises action on the global water crisis through a unique combination of social capital, shared values, credibility within the global water community, bottom-up orientation, and expertise. A network of networks, we ensure the ‘voices of water’ can inﬂuence local, national, regional, and global development priorities. We are committed to our role as a neutral convener and respected for our focus on inclusiveness and sustainability.

Learn

GWP creates and communicates information about integrated water resources management which contributes to improved water governance and, ultimately, water security.

Together with our Partners, we provide knowledge resources and capacity building activities for solving water problems.

Partner

Institutional Partners are the basis of GWP's multi-stakeholder partnership. A strong, diverse partnership can bring about the changes needed to achieve a water secure world. In this section, learn about the benefits of being a Partner and meet a few who already are. We invite like-minded organisations to join us!

GWP Regions

This is where you can find links to the websites of our Regional Water Partnerships (RWPs). RWPs are closest to the countries where we work. They share knowledge and learning across national boundaries and are expected to have an open, inclusive, and gender-sensitive policies for bringing together as wide a group of stakeholders as possible to solve water problems.

China: The ways to address disputes in Zhang River (#476)

Zhang River runs through Shanxi Province, Hebei Province and Henan Province as the border of Hebei and Henan Provinces. Within the basin, there is a large population but inadequate water and land resources. The residents of the villages along the river only have a small amount of valley terraces and flood land barely meeting their survival demand.

The water disputes of Zhang River were triggered in the 1950s owing to the limited natural resources, mainly on the Zhuozhang River, the Qingzhang River and the main stream of the Zhang River in the border area of Shanxi, Hebei and Henan. The number of destructive incidents of water projects in Hongqi Canal of Henan Province, Dayuefeng Canal of Hebei Province and Baishan Canal of Hebei was over 30. The residents of villages on both sides of Zhuozhang River from Hebei Province and Henan Province shelled each other and fought with weapons. The residents on both sides competed to build field-and-village-protecting dams and hydroelectric power projects for occupying river banks.

Action taken

Due to the particularity of the basin and its influence in China, the Central Government has attached importance to water disputes of Zhang River, issuing documents and guidance to the provincial governments of Henan and Hebei Provinces for settling disputes and achieving social stability. On June 3, 1989, the State Council approved "the Water Allocation Plan of Zhang River" proposed by the Ministry of Water Resources, providing that the water distribution ratio of Zhang River to Henan and Hebei were 48% and 52%, respectively.

In 1992, Ministry of Water Resources coordinated the two provinces to sign "the Agreement on the Settlement of the Water Disputes of Zhang River". While the main channel of the Red Flag Canal was blown up in August, 1992, the State Council held a meeting to mediate the water disputes of the Zhang River, and meanwhile, "the State Council's Coordination Meeting Minutes of the Water Disputes of Zhang River" (State Council [1992] No. 132) was proposed.

The Administration has assessed water rights and introduced the water market. These were new ideas of using the market mechanism to settle water disputes, namely "the paid inter-provincial water diversion, the optimization of the water distribution, prevention of water disputes and stable development." Jointly with the environmental protection departments, water resources departments and hydrology departments of related cities as well as a reservoir management bureau in the river basin, the Administration completed the River Pollution Emergency Response & Communications Plan of Upper Stream of Zhang River Basin, regulating regular meeting schedule, information sharing, emergency response and capacity building.

Lesson learnt

Water disputes were mitigated by the introduction of the appropriate administrative structure
Complex instruments were applied in an integrated way – ranging from the use of administrative, economic, legal, technical and engineering means. Especially the use of market mechanism and the rational allocation of water resources is an important approach to solve the water disputes.
Mitigation of water disputes allowed to develop a water-saving and pollution-preventing society. The carrying capacity of the water resources and ecosystem protection was an important part of the interventions in the Zhang River basin. At a mean time, development of the economy and society was enhanced.
Taking precautions beforehand and putting prevention first is an important principle to solve the water disputes.
Communicating effectively with other provinces and developing a friendship with the related provinces is an important humanistic factor to solve the water disputes.

Page last edited: 3/14/2016