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An integrated assessment of China's South—North Water Transfer Project
Author(s) -
Rogers Sarah,
Chen Dan,
Jiang Hong,
Rutherfurd Ian,
Wang Mark,
Webber Michael,
CrowMiller Britt,
Barnett Jon,
Finlayson Brian,
Jiang Min,
Shi Chenchen,
Zhang Wenjing
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
geographical research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.695
H-Index - 47
eISSN - 1745-5871
pISSN - 1745-5863
DOI - 10.1111/1745-5871.12361
Subject(s) - china , overexploitation , sustainability , environmental planning , beijing , politics , water supply , geography , water transfer , water quality , corporate governance , environmental resource management , business , water resource management , political science , engineering , environmental science , environmental engineering , ecology , archaeology , finance , law , biology
China's South–North Water Transfer Project (SNWTP) is a vast and still expanding network of infrastructure and institutions that moves water from the Yangtze River and its tributaries to cities in North China. This article aims to assess the SNWTP's impacts by beginning to answer seven questions about the project: How is the management of the SNWTP evolving? What are the problems to be resolved when managing SNWTP water within jurisdictions? What are the status and management of water quality in the SNWTP? What are the consequences of resettlements caused by the SNWTP? How is increased water supply affecting regional development? Is the SNWTP achieving its stated environmental goals? What are the sustainability credentials of the SNWTP? Drawing on primary and secondary data, the article demonstrates both that the opportunities and burdens characterising the project are highly uneven and that management systems are evolving rapidly in an attempt to enforce strict water quality targets. Furthermore, while the SNWTP may be helping to resolve groundwater overexploitation in Beijing, it is highly energy intensive, raising questions about its sustainability. Our analysis highlights the need to continue to interrogate the socio‐economic, environmental, and political implications of such schemes long after they are officially completed.