The Beijing government needs to establish a water management system encouraging residents to use less water.

Citing a research conducted by experts of the Beijing Research Institute on Water Conservancy Plan, the Beijing News newspaper said Beijing must set detailed water control targets and ration the water supply immediately because the city's water shortage is worsening.

The city's major water problems include depletion of existing water resources, declining water supply from Guanting and Miyun reservoirs, a rising gap between supply and demand, severer water pollution, inefficient water utilization, unreasonable water pricing and problematic water utilization in the countryside.

Researchers have suggested the Beijing government establish a market access system for water-saving appliances, strengthen water disposal and reduce the possibilities of water leakage during farming and public water supply.

To alleviate water shortage, researchers said that the water consumption for gross domestic product of per 10,000 yuan (about US$1,200) in Beijing should be limited within 62 cubic meters by 2010, the level of advanced western countries in late 1990s.

The per capita daily water consumption of Beijing residents should be no more than 110 liters while the utilization rate of recycled sewage must be 50 percent.

Meanwhile, water-saving irrigation facilities should be available in approximately 95 percent of local farmland.

(CRI June 7, 2005)