Decision from the CPC Central Committee and the State Council on Accelerating Water Conservancy Reform and Development

Issued on December 31, 2010

Water is the origin of life, the essence of production and the basis of ecology. Water conservancy and flood control are instrumental to human survival, economic development and social advancement. They are always issues that make a difference in national governance. To promote steady and relatively rapid long-term economic development, boost social harmony and stability and win new victories in building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, we must be determined to accelerate water conservancy development, enhance the supporting and guarantee capacity of water conservancy and achieve sustainable use of water resources. Serious floods and droughts that frequently hit our country in recent years have resulted in major losses of life and property and exposed serious weaknesses in water conservancy infrastructure, including farmland irrigation and drainage. Water conservancy development must be strengthened vigorously. Efforts must be stepped up in water conservancy development. The following decisions are hereby made in respect of accelerating water conservancy reform and development:

1. Strategic Position of Water Conservancy in the New Situation

(1) New situation facing water conservancy. Since the birth of P. R. China, in particular after the reform and opening up policy was introduced, the Party and the State have paid consistently high attention to water conservancy and led nationwide efforts to advance the water conservancy drive ambitiously. These efforts have delivered remarkable outcomes and made significant contributions to economic and social development and people’s well-being. It must be noted that, however, limited water resource per capita and uneven distribution of water resources, by either time or space, are basic national conditions of China with regard to water. Frequent floods and droughts remain a great concern for the Chinese nation; the sharp imbalance between water demand and supply is still a major bottleneck on sustainable development; backward development of farmland water conservancy remain the biggest barrier to solid agricultural development and national and food security; Vulnerable water conservancy facilities are still an obvious weaker area of national infrastructure. As industrialization and urbanization are going deeper and global climate changes are having a bigger impact, China is faced with a more severe situation in water conservancy. Demand is increasingly urgent for improved capacity of disaster prevention and mitigation; saving and protecting water are becoming increasingly burdensome; reducing the agricultural vulnerability to natural disasters is becoming increasingly challenging. In 2010, the extraordinary drought that hit the southwestern region, the flood spreading across the majority of provinces, and the serious landslides in a few areas remind us that we cannot afford any delay on the effort to accelerate water conservancy development.

(2) Status and role of water conservancy in the new situation. Water conservancy is the primary element of agricultural development, the basic foundation for eco-social development and the assuring system for bio-environmental improvement. It is of a strong public, fundamental and strategic nature. Accelerating water conservancy reform and development is not only a matter of developing agriculture and rural areas, but also a matter of eco-social development overall; it is not only relevant to flood control, water security and food security, but also relevant to economic, ecological and national security. Water conservancy shall be put higher on the agenda of the Party and the State to expedite farmland water conservancy efforts and promote leapfrog development of water conservancy.

2. Guidelines, Objectives and Principles of Water Conservancy Reform and Development

(3) Guidelines: Thoroughly implement the guidelines of the 17th CPC National Congress and the Third, Fourth and Fifth Plenums of the 17th CPC Central Committee, follow the guidance of the Deng Xiaoping Theory and the important thought of the "Three Represents" and comprehensively implement the Scientific Outlook on Development. Put water conservancy high on the priority list of national infrastructure development, include farmland water conservancy in the priorities of rural infrastructure development and regard strict management of water resources as a strategic move to expedite transformation of the economic development mode. Emphasize science-based and law-ruled water governance, highlight development in weaker aspects, strengthen water conservancy for people’s welling, continuously deepen the water conversancy reform, step up efforts to build a water efficient society, promote sustainable development of water conservancy and strive to develop a China-specific pathway towards modernization in respect of water conservancy.

(4) Objectives: The marked backwardness in water conservancy development will be fundamentally reversed in five to ten years. By 2020, the flood and drought control and relief system will be basically established, key cities and flood protection areas will significantly improve their capacity of flood and drought control and, during the 12th Five-year Plan period, the rehabilitation of major sections of key small- and medium-sized rivers (including tributaries of large rivers, rivers flowing directly into sea and inland rivers) will be completed, and small-sized reservoir reinforcement and the early warning system for landslide venerable areas will be completed; the system of reasonable allocation and efficient use of water resources will be basically established, annual water consumption across the country will be controlled within 670 billion m3, urban and rural probability of water supply will be significantly increased, the water consumption per unit of RMB 10,000 domestic product (GDP) and per RMB 10,000 industrial value added will be reduced markedly, the efficiency of the efficiency factor of farmland irrigation water will be increased to 0.55 or higher and, during the 12th Five-year Plan period, the effective irrigation area of farmland will increase by 40 million Mu; the system of water resource protection and river/lake health assurance will be basically established, the water quality will be significantly improved in water function areas of major rivers and lakes, sources of urban water supply will meet all quality criteria, soil erosion will be effectively controlled in key areas and over-extraction of groundwater is basically contained; systems and mechanisms conducive to development water conservancy sciences will be basically established, the water resource management system designed to the most stringent standards will be basically established, the mechanism for steady growth of water conservancy investment will be further improved, the water tariff mechanism conducive to conservation and reasonable allocation of water resources will be basically put in place, and the virtuous mechanism of water conservancy projects will take basic shape.

(5) Principles: Firstly, give priority to people’s welling. Efforts shall be focused on the most practical issues of the greatest and most direct concern to the general people in respect of water conservancy, so as to promote water conservancy development oriented towards people’ well-being. Secondly, maintain sound coordination and balancing. Emphasis shall be placed on combining utilization and control, balancing prevention and relief efforts, tackling problems at root and at surface, and promoting coordinated development of watersheds and regions, urban and rural areas as well as Eastern, Central and Western regions. Thirdly, maintain harmony between water and people. Natural and social laws shall be followed to pursue reasonable development, optimal allocation, comprehensive conservation and effective protection of water resources. Fourthly, adhere to the government-led mode. The public finance shall play an assuring role in water conservancy development. Synergies shall be produced through collaborative efforts of the government and the community in water conservancy and food control. Fifthly, continue reform and innovation. Efforts shall be stepped up to make breakthroughs in priority areas and key aspects of water conservancy and break system and mechanism barriers to water conservancy development.

3. Strengthen Efforts in Farmland and Other Weaker Areas of Water Conservancy

(6) Develop water conservancy at a large scale. By 2010, the infrastructure expansion and water efficiency enhancement tasks will be basically completed for large-sized irrigation zones, major medium-sized irrigation zones. Keeping in line with the implementation of the plan to increase grain production capacity by 50 million tons nationwide, A number of new irritation areas will be established in regions where water and soil resources permit to increase the effective irrigation area of farmland. Irrigation and drainage pumps will be upgraded for large- and medium-sized irrigation areas to enhance management of key flood prone areas and improve the network of irrigation and drainage. To improve the new mechanism for farmland water conservancy, central and provincial finances shall significantly increase subsidies to water conservancy activities, and municipal and county-level governments shall effectively expand their investments in farmland water conservancy and encourage voluntary labor contribution from farmers. Accelerate the efforts in building key counties of small-sized farmland water conservancy facilities, give priority to major grain-growing counties, strengthen efforts in building final-stage irrigation channels and auxiliary field-mounted facilities, and build farmland to high standards to ensure stable yields regardless of drought and flood. Small- and medium-sized water conservancy facilities shall be built in line with local conditions, supports shall be provided to construction of small water cellars, small water ponds, small dams, small pump stations and small channels, with focus given to old revolutionary base areas, ethnic minority areas border areas and poverty-stricken areas. Aggressively develop the water-efficient irrigation technology, promote such technologies as channel seepage control, piped water transfer and spray and drip irrigation, and increase the coverage of subsidies to water-efficient and drought-relief equipment. Actively develop dry farming and apply such technologies as plastic mulching, deep plowing and protective farming. Steadily develop water conservancy in pasturing areas and build water-efficient grassland irrigation facilities.

(7) Accelerate rehabilitation of small- and medium-sized rivers and reinforcement of small-sized reservoirs. Rehabilitation of small- and medium-sized rivers shall give priority to rivers and river sections where floods and droughts occur frequently, the protected area is densely populated or the subject matter of protection is important. Reinforce embankment and remove sediments to meet national flood control standards. Maintain the soundness of reinforced large- and medium-sized dilapidated reservoirs, accelerate reinforcement of small-sized dilapidated reservoirs, eliminate potential safety hazards of reservoirs as soon as possible, restore the flood control capacity and enhance the capacity of water resource regulation. Press forward with repair and reinforcement of large- and medium-sized gates. Landslide prevention and control shall combine engineering measures and non-engineering measures, the monitoring and early warning system that combines the efforts of both professionals and the masses shall be improved and prevention, circumvention and restoration efforts must be accelerated.

(8) Expedite the efforts to solve engineering-related water shortage. Accelerate major water source projects in the southwestern region and other regions suffering from engineering-related water shortage; combine storage, diversion and lifting with reasonable extraction of groundwater; build a number of small- and medium-sized reservoirs as well as water diversion, lifting and connection facilities at county levels; support farmers to build small-sized and micro water conservancy facilities, significantly improve the capacity of utilizing rain and flood resources and ensuring water supply, and substantially tackle water access problems in water-deficient urban areas and densely populated rural areas.

(9) Improve the emergency response capacity against flood and drought. Improve the emergency management mechanism against flood and drought as possible as possible that is characterized by central steering, tiered responsibility, collaboration, quick response and coordinate, orderly and efficient operation. Enhance the monitoring and early warning capacity, expand investment, consolidate resources and increase the accuracy of weather forecasts, including rain, flood and drought. Establish an emergency response and rescue team that involves professionals and community members, set up flood and drought service organizations at county and village levels, improve the system of emergency supply reserves and improve the emergency preparedness plan. Build a number of emergency water supply facilities against drought that are designed to a reasonable size and appropriate standards. Establish a water reserve system against extraordinary droughts and water security emergencies. Strengthen the efforts to build pilot areas for artificial precipitation enhancement, and reasonably develop and utilize cloud water resources in the air.

(10) Continue to promote drinking water security in rural areas. On-the-plan issues concerning drinking water security in rural areas will be solved by 2013; drinking water insecurity in rural areas will be basically eliminated during the 12th Five-year Plan period. Press forward with the construction of centralized water supply facilities and increase the penetration rate of piped water in rural areas. The centralized water pipe network shall be extended where possible to establish an integrated water supply system for rural and urban areas. Strengthen management of rural drinking water security facilities, assign the responsibility for management and protection responsibilities to specific entities and individuals, intensify protection of water sources and monitoring of water quality, and ensure sustainable service of these facilities. Formulate land use policies in support of drinking water security facilities in rural areas, ensure land supply and apply tax preferences to construction and operation of these facilities. Electricity consumed in water supply shall be billed at the same tariff rate as for residential or agricultural irrigation purposes.

4. Accelerate Development of Water Conservancy Infrastructure in All Respects

(11) Continue efforts in rehabilitating major rivers. Further rehabilitate Huaihe River, rehabilitate the lower reaches of Yellow River, properly control the river regime of middle and lower reaches of Yangzi River, continue to advance the watercourse rehabilitation and embankment construction of major rivers, strengthen integrated management of Taihu Lake, Dongting Lake and Poyang Lake, accelerate construction of flood detention zones and reasonably arrange for resettlement of local residents. Improve the safety of beach areas in the lower reaches of Yellow River. Complete a number of flood control projects during the 12th Five-year Plan and continuously increase the flood regulation capacity. Step up the efforts in construction of urban flood control projects to higher standards. Push ahead with sea wall construction and trans-boundary river rehabilitation.

(12) Step up efforts in water resource allocation projects. Improve the strategic allocation of water resources. Complete a number of key water source projects and watercourse interconnection projects at no ecological cost as soon as possible, and increase the ability to regulate water resources and assure water supply. Accelerate the Middle Route Project (MRP) for South-to-North Water Transfer (Phase I) and auxiliary works, ensure the quality of works, and conduct researches on the Western Route Project (WRP) for South-to-North Water Transfer at appropriate time. Move forward with a number of inter-basin and inter-regional water transfer projects. Endeavor to tackle water shortage in northwestern and other regions deficient in water resources. Promote wastewater treatment and reuse, carry out desalination and integrated use of seawater and pay due attention to use of rainwater and brackish water.

(13) Deliver good performance in soil and water conservation and water-related ecological protection. Implement national key projects for water and soil conservation. Effectively prevent soil erosion by means of integrated management of small watersheds, silt dams, slope farmland improvement, planting and ecological rehabilitation. Step up the efforts to prevent and control soil erosion in the upper and middle reaches of Yangtze River and Yellow River, rock desertification areas in the southwestern region and the black soil areas in the northeast region, and other critical regions and landslide prone areas. Continue the efforts in water-related ecological rehabilitation of ecologically vulnerable rivers and regions. Accelerate restoration of the aqueous environment of heavily polluted rivers and lakes. Strengthen protection of important ecological reserves, water conservation areas, river headwaters and wetlands. Implement integrated management of rural watercourses and strengthen development of ecological and clean small watersheds. Strengthen supervision and management of water and soil conservation in production and construction projects. Establish and improve the processes of water and soil conservation and of compensation for occupation of water conservancy facilities and watersheds in construction projects.

(14) Reasonably harness water resources. Accelerate exploitation and utilization of water resources without compromise of ecological and farmers’ interests. Strike a balance among flood control, irrigation, water supply, power generation and shipping. Formulate reasonable plans, actively develop hydropower, enhance hydro resource management, regulate the exploitation permission process and intensify supervision of hydropower safety. Vigorously develop rural hydropower, actively carry out the new-rural-community hydropower counties program and the firewood-to-small-hydropower transformation program, and properly implement the rural hydropower grid upgrading project.

(15) Intensify scientific and technological supports in terms of hydrometeorology and water conservancy Step up the efforts in construction of hydro-meteorological infrastructures, expand the coverage and optimize the structure of their network, endeavor to improve hydrological surveying and reporting capacity in critical regions, important cities and groundwater over-extraction areas, expedite the emergency monitoring capacity, promote data sharing and improve services in all respects. Improve the system of innovation in water conservancy science and technology, intensify the infrastructure platform construction, step up basic research and technological R&D, make new breakthroughs in key areas, critical aspects and core technologies of water conservation, deliver a number of research findings of great practical value and step up the efforts to import and promote leading technologies. Improve technical equipment for water conservancy. Develop and improve technical standards for the water conservancy sector. Press forward with IT-based water conservancy development, implement the Golden Water Conservancy Project, accelerate the efforts to build the national flood and drought control system and the water resource management information, increase the IT performance in water resource regulation, water conservancy management and operation of projects, and use IT as a driver of water conservancy modernization. Strengthen international communication and cooperation on water conservancy.

5. Establish a Mechanism for Steady Growth of Water Conservancy Investment

(16) Increase public investment in water conservancy. Raise funds through a wide range of channels. Seek to double the annual investment in water conservancy as compared with 2010 in ten years. The government shall play a leading role in water conservancy development and include water conservancy in the priority areas of public finance. The public finance at all levels shall expand water conservancy investment markedly, either by total size by growth rate. Further increase the weight of water conservancy funds in the national investment in fixed assets. Significantly increase public funding of water conservancy at both central and local levels. Allocate 10% of land premium revenues to farmland water conservancy. Revenues from new land parcels granted for construction use and other land management funds shall be unleashed to generate comprehensive benefits. Further improve the policy on the Foundation for Water Works, extend the length of levy years, diversify the avenue of funding and expand the base of revenues. Improve the paid water use system, reasonably adjust the water tariff criteria, expand the scope of levy, and maintain a high level of stringency in collection, use and management of water tariffs. Cities with a heavy burden of flood control or suffering serious water deficiency shall allocate a reasonable part of urban construction and maintenance tax revenues to urban flood control and water source projects. Effectively enhance supervision and management of water conservancy investments and funds.

(17) Strengthen financial supports for water conservancy development. Utilize financial and monetary policies to encourage financial institutions to lend more to the water conservancy sector. Where conditions permit, the size, duration and rate of discount loans shall be determined in line with the nature and characteristics of water conservancy projects. The Agricultural Development Bank of China is supported to extend medium- to long-term policy loans to water conservancy projects at a controlled risk level. China Development Bank, the Agricultural Bank of China, rural credit cooperatives and the Postal Savings Bank of China are encouraged to lend more to farmland water conservancy projects. Eligible water conservancy enterprises are supported to go public and issue bonds. Explore financial leasing for large-sized water conservancy equipment and facilities. Introduce a variety of financing forms for water conservancy projects, including loans secured by project cash flow. Flood insurance is encouraged and supported. Increase the size and improve the quality of foreign investment in water conservancy.

(18) Attract broad-based private investment in water conservancy. Encourage eligible local government financing vehicles to diversify the avenue of water conservancy investment and financing, directly or indirectly to attract private capital into water conservancy projects. Farmers are encouraged to work hard on a self-reliance basis. Motivate farmers to invest in farmland water conservancy under the principle of granting more subsidies to heavier investment and more labor and through increasing government awards and subsidies on a case-by-case basis. Improve the rural hydropower value added tax (VAT) policy in line with the VAT reform and legislation process. Improve the policy on the farmland use tax in respect of water conservancy projects. Steadily and actively push ahead with market-based financing of for-profit water conservancy projects.

6. Manage Water Resources to the Most Stringent Standard

(19) Establish a system of total water consumption control. Define the control limit of water resource exploitation and utilization, promptly formulate the plan for allocation of major river water resources, and establish a system of control indicators for total water taking. Strengthen water resource assessment over programs and projects. The plan for national economic and social development and the master urban plan shall be formulated and major projects shall be deployed in alignment with local water resources and flood control requirements. The water resource assessment process must be strictly implemented for construction projects. A stop order must be given to any construction or operation of any project without approval. The water taking permit must be strictly managed. Where the total water taken has reached or exceeded the control limit, any new water taking permit for construction projects shall be suspended. Restriction shall be applied to new water taking permits where the total water taken is close to the control limit. Groundwater management and protection must be strictly carried out. The prohibited and restricted areas of groundwater extraction shall be defined as soon as possible to phase down excess groundwater extraction and reach a balance between extraction and recharge. Strengthen central dispatch of water resources, maintain coordinated use of water for residential, commercial, industrial and ecological purposes and improve the water resource dispatch plan, the emergency dispatch plan and the dispatch schedule. Establish and improve the national water rights system to optimize allocation of water resources using the market mechanisms.

(20) Establish a system of water efficiency control. Establish the control limit of water efficiency, strictly control waste of water and embed water efficiency into the entire process of water-consuming equipment for residential, commercial and industrial purposes. Accelerate the establishment of the water efficiency indicator system by geographical regions, industry sectors and water users. Strengthen management of water quota and plans. Focus on monitoring of water users that reach a certain scale. Apply strict restriction to water-intensive industrial projects in water-deficient areas. Implement simultaneous design, construction and operation of water conservation facilities and main works of a construction project. Accelerate technical revamp for water efficiency, strengthen water efficiency management of enterprises, establish model water-efficient projects and disseminate water-efficient agricultural technologies. Develop compulsory standards on water efficiency, and phase out processes, equipment and products that do not meet water efficiency standards.

(21) Establish a system of controlled pollutant discharge to water function areas. Establish the pollutant-carrying limit of water function areas. Define the pollutant-carrying capacity to stringent standards and strictly control the total pollutant discharges to lakes and rivers. Governments at all levels shall limit the total pollutant discharges as a crucial basis for the work on water pollution control and emission reduction, clarify responsibilities and take actions. Restriction shall be applied to new water intakes and sewage outlets to rivers where the total pollutant discharge has exceeded the limit of water function areas. Create a water quality assessment system for water function areas and improve the system of monitoring, supervision and early warning.

Strengthen protection of water sources, identify the protected drinking water source areas and strengthen management of drinking water source emergencies. Establish the water-related ecological compensation system.

(22) Establish a system of water resource management responsibility and assessment. The chief officers of local governments at the county or higher above shall assume the overall responsibility for managing and protecting water resources within their respective mandate. Strictly implement the water resource management assessment system. The water administration department shall, in conjunction with other relevant departments, conduct an assessment of water resource exploitation, utilization, conservation and protection indicators in local areas and submit the assessment results to the supervisory authority as an important basis for performance assessment of local government leaders. Strengthen capacity building in respect of water quantity and quality monitoring, and provide technical supports for enhanced supervisory assessment.

7. Continuously Innovate in the Water Conservancy Development Systems and Mechanisms

(23) Improve the water resource management system. Strengthen integrated management of water resources in rural and urban areas, apply coordinated planning and implementation to urban and rural water supply, integrated utilization of water resources, water environment management and flood control, and promote optimal allocation of water resources. Improve the water resource management system that combines watershed management and regional management, and establish a working mechanism for water resource management that features well-defined rights and responsibilities, clear division of work, disciplined actions and coordinated operation. Further improve the coordination mechanism for protection of water resources and prevention and control of water pollution.

(24) Expedite water conservancy projects and management system reforms. Classify reforms by the nature of water conservancy projects and establish a sound operating mechanism. Deepen the administrative restructuring of state-owned water conservancy projects and guarantee financial resources to public-service and quasi-public-service water management agencies to fund their repair and maintenance activities. The central government grants subsidies to public-service projects in central and western regions and poverty-stricken areas to fund their repair and maintenance. Properly address social security issues of persons that are laid off by water management agencies. Deepen the ownership reform of small-sized water conservancy projects, clarify owners and users, assign the responsibility for repair and maintenance to specific entities and individuals, give subsidies to public-

service small-sized water conservancy projects to fund their repair and maintenance, and explore modes of community-based and specialized water conservancy project management. Expedite the promotion of the outsourcing mechanism for not-for-profit projects funded by the government. Give full play to market mechanisms in construction and operation of water conservancy projects, guide for-profit water conservancy projects towards market-based operation, improve their corporate governance structure and encourage them to operate independently at their own loss or profit.

(25) Improve local water conservancy service systems. Establish the local water conservancy service systems that feature clear duties, reasonable architecture, competent team and quality services, so as to improve local water conservancy service capabilities in all respects. Establish the local water conservancy service organizations by towns or small watersheds, strengthen their public service functions in respect of water resource management, flood and drought control, farmland water conservancy and application of water conservancy technologies, establish their staffing as required and include their fund demand in the county-level public budget. Establish farmer's cooperative organizations for water use.

(26) Press forward with water tariff reform. Fully unleash the regulating role of water tariff, balance efficiency and fairness and promote water conservation and industrial restructuring. Phase in the cascade tariff rates for water consumption in the industrial and service sectors. Widen the gap in tariff rates between water-intensive sectors and other sectors. Reasonably adjust the residential water tariff rates in urban areas and phase in the cascade tariff rates. Under the principle of promoting water conservation, reducing farmers’ water spending and assuring sound operation of irrigation and drainage facilities, the agricultural water tariff reform will be carried out in such a way that the operating and administrative expenses of agricultural irrigation and drainage facilities will be subsidized by public finance as appropriate. The system will be explored that applies preferential tariff rates to water use within the farmer quota while introduces cascade rates for excess use.

8. Strengthen Leadership over Water Conservancy

(27) Assign Specific Responsibility to Party Committees and Governments at All Levels. The party committees and governments at all levels shall, with an overarching and strategic view, strengthen the work on water conservancy and conduct timely researches and solve major issues in water conservancy and development. The chief executive responsibility system will be implemented in respect of flood and drought control, drinking water safety assurance, water resource management and reservoir safety management. Local governments shall effectively implement all measures relating to water conservancy reform and development, having regard to their local conditions. Water administration departments at all levels shall increase the sense of responsibility, perform duties with due diligence and effectively implement all tasks relating to water conservancy reform and development. All relevant departments and organizations shall development and improve supporting measures and methods according to their scope of duties and create synergies to advance water conservancy reform and development. Stepping up efforts in farmland water conservancy shall be included as an important element in the performance excellence initiatives in local rural communities. Party organizations in local rural communities shall fully play their role of stronghold to lead farmers’ efforts in accelerating improvement in rural production and living conditions.

(28) Push ahead with law-ruled water governance. Establish and improve the system of water-related laws and regulations and expedite improvements in laws and regulations in respect of water resource allocation, water conservation and protection, flood and drought control, rural water conservancy, soil and water conservation and watershed management. Press forward with integrated law enforcement on water conservancy, and strictly enforce rules and procedures relating to water resource assessment, water taking permission, water project planning permit, flood impact assessment and water and soil conservation plan. Strengthen management of rivers and lakes, and prohibit illegal occupation of river or lake waters by construction projects. Step up efforts to establish national supervisory systems and processes for flood and drought control. Improve the water dispute mediation mechanism that combines prevention with mediation while focusing on the former, and improve the emergency preparedness plan. Deepen reform in the water-related administrative permission and approval system. Prepare the water conservancy plan in a scientific manner, improve the national, watershed-specific and regional systems of water conservancy planning, expedite preparatory work for major projects and enhance the role of the water conservancy plan in managing and disciplining water-related activities. Properly carry out reservoir-induced resettlement and put in place follow-up support policies.

(29) Strengthen team building for water conservancy. Improve the competencies of workers and officials working on water conservancy to accommodate new requirements posed by water conservancy reform, and enhance the capacity of water survey, design and project execution and law-based administration. Support water conservancy disciplines in higher education institutions and, secondary vocational schools. Attract, foster and promote managerial talent, technical talent and highly skilled workers. Improve the talent assessment, transfer and incentive mechanisms. Encourage scientific and technological personnel to serve the front line of water conservancy reform, strengthen training and continuing education of front-line workers in water conservancy and help tackle their difficulties in work and life. All workers and officials in the water conservancy sector shall carry forward the spirit of “commitment, responsibility and truth,” align closer to people’s well-being, deliver more services to lower rungs of the social ladder and better serve the overall development of the economy and society.

(30) Mobilize the whole society to care for and support water conservancy. Step up efforts to increase the public awareness of national conditions in respect of water resources, increase the public sense of flood, saving water and water resource protection and mobilize broad-based efforts in water conservancy development. Water-related education shall be included in the national quality education system and the primary and secondary education system, and designated as a crucial element in training and education of government officials and civil servants. Water conservancy shall be included in public service advertising to create a favorable public atmosphere for sound and rapid development of water conservancy. Governments at all levels shall commend and reward entities and individuals who have delivered outstanding contributions to accelerating water conservancy reform and development. Accelerating water conservancy reform and development is a glorious mission, and also a considerable challenge and great responsibility. We must unite closely under the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Hu Jintao as its general secretary, stay current, keep forging ahead and strive to turn a new page in the water conservancy drive.