The Minister of Water Resources Wang Shucheng said Monday that spreading awareness of water conservation, not raising prices, is the best way to solve the water crisis.

Price policy is one of many applicable methods, and people can only live in harmony with the environment if the idea of water-saving is rooted in their hearts, said the minister on Monday, which is also world water day.

Even though China has focused on using water more efficiently, many people do not know why and how to use water economically. Official statistics indicate that in about 40 percent of major Chinese cities, over 12 percent wastage of water is reported.

China has a serious water shortage. Water per capita is about 2,300 cubic meters, ranking 121st in the world. The number will hit a record low of 1,700 cubic meters in 2030.

Among 668 Chinese cities, over 400 are short of water, and the situation is even worse in more than 100 cities including Beijing and Tianjin.

In 2002, the country kicked off a giant project to divert water in the south to the north, where the water problem is even tougher.

Analysts said the project will be helpful but the best way was to tell people to use water sparingly.

Many industrial plants that use massive amounts of energy and resources must be halted and effective measures should be adopted to prevent pollution, said experts.

The Ministry of Water Resources will try to spread the water-saving concept and research ways to maintain economic development while consuming less resources, said Wang.

The ministry has introduced trial operations for this purpose in the northwest Zhangye city, southwest Mianyang city and northeast Dalian city, he said.

(Xinhua News Agency March 23, 2004)