Taihu Basin Authority (TBA), a basin administration agency authorized by the Ministry of Water Resources (MWR), exerts managerial responsibilities on behalf of MWR for water resources in an area consisting of Taihu Lake Basin, Qiantang River Basin and Zhejiang and Fujian provinces.
By the end of 2011, the area of the basin including its relative regions amounts to 245,000km2 where 138.53 million residents live, accounting for 10.3% of national population. Its GDP amounts to RMB 8.5281 trillion, accounting for 18.1% of national total. In the whole, Taihu Lake Basin proper occupies a total area of 36.900km2, specifically consisting of the southern part of Jiangsu Province (part of Taihu Lake Basin), Hang(zhou)-Jia(xing)-Hu(zhou) Area of Zhejiang Province and continental part of Shanghai Municipality. Its population ended the year 2011 is 58.79million and GDP RMB 4.8379trillion, accounting for 4.5% and 10.3% respectively of national total.
For execution of Water Law and other relevant regulations and corresponding supervision and inspection; for formulation of basin-oriented policies, laws and regulations in relation to water conservancy; for water administrative enforcement of law, water administration supervision and inspection, reconciliation of inter-provincial conflicts concerning water affairs etc.
For organizing to formulate basin comprehensive program, professional or specific component program, and to supervise implementation of the programs as well; for organizing to launch preparatory work of key basin-wide water conservancy projects located across provinces and municipality that are subject to central government; for compiling and issuing investment plans of the above-mentioned projects.
For performing uniform management of water resources in the basin and arranging investigation and assessment of water resources; for organizing to prepare water distribution scheme for provinces within the basin, yearly water dispatch plan and pre-arranged water dispatch scheme in emergent drought condition eventually for performance of uniform water dispatch; for arranging or guiding water resources evaluation for important projects located in the basin area; for organizing and implementing license system of water drawing in an authorized scope; for guiding water saving in the regions within the basin.
For basin-wide water resources protection, water functional zones partition and sewage discharge control for drinking water source reservations; for reviewing and judging the pollutant carrying capacity of water body to propose the opinions for the limits of total pollution discharge; for monitoring for quantity and quality of water mass on the borders of provinces and water diversion across basins.
For organizing or participating in the formulation of basin-wide flood control scheme, and supervising the implementation as well; for conducting dispatch of key water conservancy components for flood control and drought mitigation purposes under relevant regulations and definite authorization; for guidance and coordination and supervision of flood control and drought relief; for guidance and supervision of administration and use compensation in the basin’s flood detention areas; for organizing evaluation of flood control for key proposed construction projects in the basin area.
For management and protection of river stretches, river courses, dykes, banks and important water conservancy components within an authorized scope, and review for permit to works to be built, that are in a management coverage of river courses; for operation or supervision and management of the State-owned assets in the basin-wide controlling water conservancy works and inter-provincial (municipal) works that are subject to central government.
1. Organizing to Formulate Planning for Water Conservancy in Basin Area
TBA has formulated the Comprehensive Planning of Taihu Basin, Planning for Taihu Basin flood control, Planning of Water Resources Protection, Polluted Sediment Dredging Planning, etc. System of planning of Taihu Basin is basically completed that will provide the basis for the integrated basin management.
2. Organizing to Perform Integrated Management of Taihu Basin
Taihu Basin Flood Control Project consisting of eleven key components started after a catastrophic flood took place in 1991 and has been substantially finished now. Thus an engineering system has been preliminarily formed for flood control and water resources dispatch in the basin area. The system enables Taihu Lake to regulate and store water, and to discharge flood northward to Yangtze River, eastward to Huangpu River and southward to Hangzhou Bay. Currently TBA is positively promoting the construction of 2nd phase flood control works in Taihu Basin to further improve the overall layout of flood control and water resources works, to elevate flood control level and water resources regulating and controlling capability and to facilitate optimized configuration of basin-wide water resources and sufficient use of rainwater and floodwater resources.
3. Organizing to Perform Flood Control and Water Resources Dispatch in Taihu Basin
TBA, regarding the region and the basin as a whole in flood control safety and regarding the upstream and downstream as a whole in water using demands, implements meticulous water dispatching. TBA has stands the tests of the water supply crisis in Wuxi in 2007, water safety supply for EXPO in 2010, and the high water levels in 2008/2009/2010 and also successfully pulls through the super typhoons such as Saomai, Krosa, Wipha, Jangmi and Morakot.
Water Diversion from Yangtze River to Taihu Lake which is implemented by TBA has become the key measure of guarantee the safe water supply and improvement the hydro environment. During the 11th Five-Year Plan period, TBA had diverted 9.488billion m3 from Yangtze River and 4.183billion m3 of that flowed into Taihu Lake. Combined with the use of rainfall, the lower reaches of Taihu Lake had increased 8.355billion m3, which effectively improved the hydro environment capacity.
4. Strengthen the management and protection of water resources and practise the all-sided implemention of the most strict water resources management system
Water Functional Zones Partition of Taihu Basin has been approved by the State Council. The first comprehensive law for basin Taihu Management Regulation has gone into effect in 2011. Other works conducted include execution of water diversion license system, evaluation of water resources for proposed project, monitoring as supervision means for water functional zones and sewage outlets, management by control of total sewage quantity. Furthermore management of basin-wide water resources and experimental component of ecological system protection have been performed.
5. Launching Informatization of Water Conservancy in the Basin
TBA has established the following information platforms: Flood Control Command System of Taihu Basin(first phase), Real-time Monitoring of Water Resources and Dispatching Management System and E-governmental Affairs System, which has effectively accelerate informatization progress within the basin.