Nation reverses major decline in northern groundwater levels

China has managed to fundamentally reverse the decline of groundwater in North China, a problem that dates back to the 1970s, according to the Ministry of Water Resources.

That conclusion was made based on data from 3,665 monitoring stations, said Wang Daoxi, vice-minister of water resources, at a news conference on Tuesday.

Compared with 2018, the level of shallow groundwater in the region has increased by an average of 2.25 meters, he said. The average increase of deep groundwater reached 6.72 meters.

Over 90 percent of areas in North China have seen their shallow and deep groundwater recover and stay at very stable levels, the vice-minister said.

The achievement was made thanks to a series of measures the ministry has taken in the past five years to curb groundwater exploitation, bolster water supplementation to the region and enhance water conservation, according to the ministry.

Wang said the ministry has striven to increase the proportion of surface water in North China's water consumption mix, as it ramps up efforts to reduce groundwater exploitation.

To date, 279,000 wells have been closed, he said. Compared with 2018, underground water exploitation in the region decreased by 4 billion cubic meters last year.

According to the ministry, in 2018, the proportion of groundwater covered 55 percent of the water consumption mix in North China. Now, its proportion has decreased to roughly 45 percent.

The ministry has also made full use of existing water diversion projects to meet water demands emerging from socioeconomic development in the region, the vice-minister said.

Since 2018, 33 billion cubic meters of water have been diverted to the region from the Yangtze and Yellow rivers, the country's two longest watercourses, he said, adding that 7.7 billion cubic m of water was supplemented into rivers and lakes.

Xu Wenhai, head of the National Office of Water Conservation, said the ministry has insisted on water conservation as a fundamental solution to address groundwater depletion in North China.

One of the priorities is to enhance the efficiency of water consumption in the agricultural sector, he said. About 55.8 million hectares of farmland in the region have been covered by highly water-efficient irrigation facilities.

On the premise of ensuring stable crop output, the ministry has also made great efforts to adjust crop structure in the region based on trial planting in accordance with local water availability, he said, adding some drought-resistant crops have been introduced.

While rigidly restricting the introduction of industries with high water consumption and phasing out existing ones, he said, the region has also worked hard to boost the development of innovation and high-tech industries.