Water Resources Demand Management Assistance Project

2005 to 2010

£150,000

Department for International Development

Training; monitoring and evaluation; agronomy and agriculture.

The project produced replicable integrated water resources management approaches and methods for implementation of the 2002 Water Law. The approaches were developed through a series of case studies in Gansu and Liaoning Provinces, and then documented and promoted as best practice for wider implementation through a central case study.

The project built the capacity of the Ministry of Water Resources, and its affiliated agencies in the provinces, to conduct integrated water resource management at river basin level in accordance with the 2002 Water Law.

Activities included:

• water supply and demand assessment, using modern resource modelling tools;
• adoption of participatory approaches to water resource planning and management, including stakeholder and beneficiary analysis and consultation;
• institutional development and organisational strengthening to implement the 2002 Water Law;
• awareness-raising regarding the new law, the scarcity and value of water resources, and new IWRM principles and mangement approaches.

The project developed:

• water saving management techniques and agronomy for water saving cropping practices for wider dissemination and use;
• river basin planning incorporating social, economic and environmental issues;
• enforceable administrative tools for regulation of water use and demand, including water abstraction and wastewater discharge permitting systems;
• economic tools for regulation of water use and demand, including water resources fees and water prices for full cost recovery of water supply.
  

As part of a larger consortium led by Mott MacDonald Ltd., the HTSPE team provided the following expertise:

• definition of logical framework and indicators, design and training of client staff in monitoring of project activities and outputs; 
• ongoing support and quality control of monitoring activities;
• review and advice on water saving practices for irrigated crops;
• training of staff in project cycle management, key informant surveys and robust data collection methods.