Research and recommendations for improving the basic work of water rights reform

LI Guozheng; MA Suying

doi:10.3969/j.issn.1000-1123.2025.21.008

Abstract：Centering on the deepening of water rights reform,this paper systematically elaborates on the important roles of water use quotas,water abstraction permits,water use plan,water metering,and water price reform in three key links:the initial allocation of water rights,water rights trading,and water resources monitoring.It identifies the main problems existing in the water rights reform and puts forward 21 targeted countermeasures in 6 aspects.Regarding the strengthening of water quota management,it is proposed that water use quotas should serve as mandatory bases for the approval of water abstraction permits,the issuance of water use plans,and the collection of water fees,and that the practice of enforcing mandatory water use quotas implemented in the Yellow River basin should be extended to other water-scarce regions.Regarding the strict management of water abstraction permits,it is suggested to incorporate special audits and the implementation of ecological and environmental damage compensation into the water abstraction supervision system,to clarify the principles for accurately determining the permitted water volume during the trial operation,operation,and renewal periods,and to explore collecting basic fees for water rights held by water users.Regarding the deepening of water price reform,it is recommended to reasonably determine the capital return rate of water conservancy projects according to investment sources,to set the adjustment range and period of water supply prices with reference to the price levels and adjustment cycles of production materials and public service costs,to conduct quantitative analysis of the impacts of water price reform,and to explore the establishment of a risk assessment and early warning system.Regarding the improvement of water use plan management,it is proposed to promote the transformation from water use plan management to water budget management and to unify policies for water users both inside and outside the public water supply network.Regarding the improvement of the water abstraction metering and monitoring system,it is suggested to implement full life-cycle management of water metering facilities,to build a water use information sharing platform,and to realize centralized data management and hierarchical sharing.Regarding ecological compensation,it is proposed to establish a unified and standardized platform rule system,to improve the market-based resource and environmental factor allocation system,and to explore scenarios involving the synchronized transfer of total water rights and pollutant discharge rights as well as the feedback of water rights income to ecological compensation.