A Harmonious Water Rights Allocation Model for Shiyang River Basin, Gansu Province, China

Abstract

Abstract This paper summarizes water rights allocation principles based on the experience of international and domestic water rights allocation, and presents a water rights allocation model based on the principles of security, sustainability, fairness and efficiency. Applying the model to the Shiyang River Basin in Gansu Province, China, surface water and the groundwater rights in the basin are defined and allocated for current and future years. A comparison between allocation results from this study and water allocation plans set out in the “Focus Restoration Plan of Shiyang River Basin” demonstrates that water allocation based on current levels and patterns of water use is relatively straightforward, but that defining and allocating rights according to future demands and management needs is more uncertain. Nevertheless, to address the serious problem of water resource over-exploitation in the Shiyang River Basin, an initial water rights allocation based on future projections of planned water use is proposed. This will help support water conservation efforts in areas such as Minqin County, a downstream area of the Shiyang River where water resources degradation is particularly severe. Acknowledgements This paper is the result of a project undertaken under the auspices of the Australian Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts and the Chinese Ministry of Water Resources, with funding provided by AusAID, the Australian Agency for International Development. The study was also supported by the “948 Project, Water Rights Reform Assessment and Key Technical Issues Study in China”, funded by the Chinese Ministry of Water Resources, 2007–08.