Session III:

[14:00-15:05, March 18, 1997]

Chairman

Hon. Shin Sakurai, MP (JAPAN)

Rcspected Mr. Chairman,

Di st i ngui shed Parl iamentarians,

Lddics and Gentlemen,

It has been recognized that water is a limited resource. Currently. many of the Asian countrie,s and regions are suffering from water shortages In varlous deg rees. Therefore, it is of significance for us to come together at the beautiful Kobe to exchange our views on population, watcr resources and development.

China is poor in water resources. It totally holds somc 2,810 billion cubic kil ometers of fresh water but the per caplta share is low, merely representing one -fourth of the world's average, ranking 108th in the world. Furthermore, water resources are uncvenly distributed, characterized by plentiful water and less f armland in southcrn China and less water and more land in northern China. Gener ally speaking, in the Changiiang River's Valley and its southern areas, 80.4%, of the water resources concentrate there, accounting for 53.5 percent and 35.2 percent of the natlonal totals in terms of its population and farmland. Water r esources in the northern areas to the Changiiang River merely make up 19.5% of the national total while the population and farmland there represent 46% and 64 .80% of the respective national totals.

Additionally, in eastern China, rainfall varies enormously in a year or between years. And clry and rainy scasons take place alternatively due to the influenc e of monsoon climatc. Moreover, Dramatic changes in rainfall and river runoff, due to seasons and rcgions, oftcn result in frequent floods and droughts. In mo re than two thousand years prior to 1949, a greater flood and ctrought usually happened in China every two years.

The Chinese government attaches great importance to protection, utililatlon and develop-ment of its water rcsources. Since 1949, the goverument has implemente d a large num-ber of projects for water storage, water diversion and water pump ing to provide morc