China sees water efficiency enhanced in industrial and agricultural sectors

China has seen its water use efficiency significantly enhanced in its industrial and agricultural sectors since 2014, said Li Liangsheng, vice-minister of water resources, on Thursday.

Despite that China's GDP almost doubled from 2014 to 2023, total water consumption across the country has been kept within 610 billion cubic meters, he told a news conference organized by the State Council Information Office.

During the time, the water consumption per 10,000 yuan ($1,383) of GDP and industrial added value went down by 41.7 percent and 55.1 percent, respectively, he noted.

The vice-minister especially highlighted the efforts the country has made to beef up water efficiency in the agricultural sector.

To date, China has brought 70 million hectares of farmland under irrigation. Though only covering 55 percent of the country's total, such irrigated farmland contributed to 77 percent of the country's grain and more than 90 percent of commercial crops, he noted.

"This irrigated farmland has provided an effective guarantee to the continuous increases in the country's grain output for 20 straight years. During that time, the water used for irrigation has maintained zero growth," he continued.

This happened thanks to the ministry's efforts to promote water-saving agriculture and enhance water consumption management.

The ministry, for example, has vigorously promoted water-saving transformation in large and medium-sized irrigated areas and upgraded water diversion facilities in these areas, he stated. This helped bring down the average water consumption per hectare of irrigated farmland from 6,030 cubic meters in 2014 to the current 5,460 cubic meters.

In a move to cap agricultural water use, online metering devices have been installed in water intakes of all irrigated areas that are larger than 3,333 hectares, he said.