High-tech solutions help city to lead in water conservation

Writer: Windy Shao  |  Editor: Zhang Chanwen  |  From: Shenzhen Daily  |  Updated: 2022-11-22

Shenzhen's water consumption per 10,000 yuan (US$1,395) of GDP decreased from 17 cubic meters in 2011 to 7.09 cubic meters in 2021, down by 58.30%, which is the leading level in China, Shenzhen Special Zone Daily reported yesterday.

The city is exploring a new way to support the sustainable development of the economy and society with sustainable use of water resources, according to the Shenzhen Municipal Water Affairs Bureau.

A view of Shenzhen Bay. File photo

Shenzhen’s achievement in water conservation was highlighted during the first National Conference on Water Saving Innovation and Development on Thursday. The event was jointly sponsored by the National Water Conservation Office, Guangdong Provincial Department of Water Resources and Shenzhen Municipal Government and was held in Beijing and at Shenzhen Convention and Exhibition Center online and offline.

In recent years, Shenzhen has completed the renovation of about 500 community water supply networks, and the renovation of high-quality drinking water pipelines for 3,000 housing compounds, significantly improving tap water quality.

In the past 10 years, the number of key water use units, which have an approved water use plan, has increased from over 800 to over 4,000 in the city. The water pricing mechanism has played a guiding role in water conservation, with users needing to pay extra amount if their consumption exceeds a certain level.

In the past 10 years, the city has promoted the development and utilization of unconventional water sources. So far, 509 kilometers of pipelines for reclaimed water and 292 kilometers of river water supply pipes have been built in the city. The utilization rate of reclaimed water in the city hit 73%, according to statistics from the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development.

In recent days, “water conservation” has become one of the hot words discussed online and offline, and it was a hot topic at the 24th China Hi-Tech Fair, which concluded Saturday. At the first national water conservation high-tech achievements exhibition held at the fair, 46 well-known enterprises demonstrated key technologies and products in the field of water conservation, and 14 enterprises signed projects worth nearly 1 billion yuan.