An overview of water resources management of the Pearl River

This paper summarizes the main features of water resources management of the Pearl River basin in southern China. A regulation over the basin through integrating various regions was first established for enhancing the water resources management. Based on such a regulation, a public policy frame was then constructed aiming for the harmony between human activities and nature. It is hoped that, as a result, the basin's socio-economic sustainable development could be achieved. In practice, the Pearl River Water Resources Commission (PRWRC), which is the basin regulatory authority, has been focusing on various aspects of regulating water basin and conserving water resources. These aspects include the development of innovative regulations of treating water, exploration of compensation schemes for water resources prevention, investigation of the hydraulic engineering project impacts on region relocation and ecology, and establishment of marketing schemes for sustainable application of water resources. It is expected that these regulating water resources aspects would result in enhancing public participation and negotiation in the Pearl River basin management. A case study is presented on the PRWRC's effort in coordinating water discharges from a number of reservoirs to protect the safe water supply in the Pearl River basin from seawater intrusion during the dry season.