2013-11-08 17:02:54
From May 12 to 18, 2013, a delegation from the World Bank's Latin America and Caribbean Region and from three client countries visited Beijing, China to learn about the city?s innovative experiences in managing its scarce water. The main issues facing China's water resources today are water shortage, low efficiency of water use, pollution, drying up of rivers and lakes, soil erosion, and increased incidence of extreme events. These challenges share commonalities with those faced by several countries in the LCR region in terms of increasing agricultural pressure on water resources and the need for developing sustainable models of integrated urban water management. The key takeaways from the study visit included: (i) the importance of the role of remote sensing in water resource management, such as using evapo-transpiration to identify different land use types, constructing basin-wide water balances, and allocating water rights; (ii) the strict measurement and control of ground water used by farmers; and (iii) the highly advanced level of wastewater treatment and scientific investments in water savings technology. The delegation noted that the Chinese approach suffers from shortcomings that limit the transferability to the LAC region, namely: (i) high level of subsidization, covering operation and maintenance; and (ii) relatively low stakeholder consultation and public participation.
