Module 9 - China: Consumptive Use in Water Resource Management for Productivity, Equity, and the Ecology

In the sub-basins, water consumption is about equally divided between CU, BET, and NBET, and there is considerable opportunity for improvement in water resources management and development. The improvements need to concentrate on preserving BET, reducing NBET, and maximizing the production and particularly the value of production per unit of CU.

 The project includes various components focused on increasing productivity as well as restoring the Tarim River Ecosystem, such as:

• Canal linings to reduce seepage in areas where most of the seepage goes to NBET.
  
  
• Conjunctive use of surface and groundwater to allow groundwater to be used during low river flow months in the spring. This strategy reduces the need for high-evaporation surface reservoirs and lowers the water table in field areas to reduce capillary flux and NBET from ground surfaces.
  
  
• Land improvement that involves land leveling to reduce water requirements and drainage systems to lower water tables, thereby reducing NBET and increasing yields.
  
  
• Establishing and strengthening WUAs that receive and pay for water by volume, and thereby conserve water that previously was excessively applied and contributed to high water tables and NBET.
  
  
• Agricultural practices, such as growing higher value crops with the adjustments in cropping pattern, improved cultivation techniques, and improved seed.

Benefits and Impacts

Under the project, more than 300 million cubic meters of water have been delivered to a 300-kilometer stretch of the lower Tarim River known as the “Green Corridor,” where no river waters had flowed for 30 years prior to 2001. The TBWRC now has a firm commitment to deliver 300 million cubic meters annually to this area. Strong institutional mechanisms, and the combination of establishing and enforcing quotas for the sub-basins and a commitment to deliver water annually to the lower reaches of the Tarim River, provide a solid foundation for sustainable water resources management and future development in the Tarim Basin. The new basin-wide and holistic approach of the project has resulted in a major shift in mentality of farmers and irrigation institutions. People are beginning to see that an ecology- and equity-based water use approach that decrees limits on use through quotas does not have to compromise production and incomes.

Lessons Learned and Issues for Wider Applicability

The Tarim Basin II Project has shown that, with a solid mix of institutional and technical measures and with strong political will, it is possible to meet the objectives of making more regular water deliveries downstream, while increasing incomes in upstream sub-basins through well-planned interventions. With comprehensive ecological knowledge it may be possible to find symbiotic strategies that serve several objectives, such as improved productivity, improved ecology, and equity of resource access.