23. Ministry of Water Resources (MWR)
| Minister: | Chen Lei |
| Vice Ministers: | E Jingping Zhang Yinzhong Jiao Yong Zhou Ying Hu Siyi |
| Address: | 2 Baiguanglu Ertiao, Xuanwu District, Beijing 100053 |
| Telephone: | 86-10-6320-2114 |
| Facsimile: | 86-10-6320-3070 |
| Website: | www.mwr.gov.cn |
| Departments: | General Office; Planning; Policy and Law; Water Resources; Economic Regulation; Personnel, Labor, and Education; International Cooperation and Science and Technology; Construction and Management; Water and Soil Conservation; Irrigation, Drainage, and Rural Water Supply; State Flood Control Office and Drought Relief Headquarters; CCP Committee; Supervision and Inspection Bureau; Bureau of Development of Rural Electric-Water System; Bureau of Retired Personnel |
- Arbitrate regional and sector water disputes
- Monitor use of water resource funds and fee collections for water use; recommend price, taxation, credit, and finance policies to regulate water resources
- Direct national hydrological work including rural electrification through hydropower
- Oversee the safety of reservoirs and dams, formulate standards and procedures for major water construction projects
- Direct the management of water facilities, water surfaces and coastlines and the development of large rivers and lakes
- Monitor the quantity and quality of water resources and determine pollution absorption capacities
- Organize national and rural water and soil conservation work
- Run the State Anti-Flood and Anti-Drought Command Headquarters
MWR drafts policies, strategies, plans, regulations, and laws related to water resource management. This includes mediating and coordinating water resource management among various interest groups competing for China's scarce water resources. The ministry targets inefficient agricultural and industrial water use caused by subsidized water prices and low wastewater discharge fees. In rural areas, it provides guidelines for water pricing. For cities, the MWR manages a quota system to ration water according to production output value. It is also experimenting with the sale of water-use rights to balance supply and demand. Overall, the ministry devotes fewer resources to improving rural irrigation than to managing urban water supplies.
Because the State Environmental Protection Administration regulates water pollution and the Ministry of Construction builds water-treatment facilities, no single institution has sole responsibility for the water supply and management system.
MWR worked to establish a national water-quality monitoring network to issue early warnings about serious pollution in major rivers and lakes. Its conservation plan entails saving water, developing new resources, minimizing wastewater, and improving water resource-management regulations. To tackle soil erosion, the ministry encourages re-vegetation and afforestation.
Return to PART V: State Council 28 Ministries and Commissions