Persistent drought challenges China model
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GT: Ancient China also had severe droughts, but the current drought has emerged against a changing social background. Some question China's model of modernization. What's your view?
Zhang: In ancient China, severe drought often caused social turmoil and farmer revolt. At that time, the nation was fundamentally agricultural, and the society is vulnerable to natural disasters.
Today China's anti-drought ability is much stronger. This is related to our industrialization. Some question the sustainability of the China model, saying that the nation's focus on heavy industries have made inroads on water and other resources. This makes sense.
Industrialization has also brought about regional imbalances in agricultural production. In southern part , where water resources are generally abundant, farmers become reluctant to grow crops, and prefer making money elsewhere. In comparison, farmers in the northern part, where water resources are lacking, now produce food.
Li: Previously, grain was transferred from the south to the north. But now the north has become the chief food provider. This is a structural problem, and is related to China's current stage of modernization.
China's economic structure has been changed, and agricultural projects are often marginalized.
China is a market economy now. What the nation needs to do now is to promote water conservation, intensify farmland irrigation construction, and find a new path of industrialization that maximizes economic, social and ecological benefits.
GT: Water resource management is a systematic project relates to not only water distribution, but also better urbanization, pollution regulation and balanced regional development. Is it feasible to leave the problem to marketization?
Zheng: Marketization can only play an assistant role. The past three decades of reform and opening-up witnessed the government's withdrawal from rural water conservancy. Individual farmers are unable to channel water from reservoirs to their farmlands.
Now it turns out that the role of both the government and the market fails on farmland irrigation construction. The government has to repack up its role to dominate such projects.
Li: There are several major difficulties in fighting droughts. Farmers are not enthusiastic, and the costs of digging wells are high.
Besides, many local governments are not really anxious about drought. They talk about fighting against drought every year, but fail to carry it out in practice.
China hasn't reached the most critical moment of water shortage. But both the authorities should play the leading role and motivate people so as to take precautions.
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