Water resource management put in spotlight with national checks

China kicked off a performance assessment to evaluate provincial governments' water resource management work, the strictest to date, China News Service reported Thursday.

The assessment is jointly conducted by 10 central ministries and commissions in 31 provinces and regions. It includes checking whether provincial governments reach their goals on water resource management and their conservation work.

Any local government failing the evaluation is required to submit a report of improvement measures to the State Council within one month after the result is issued, according to the implementation plan released by the Ministry of Water Resources.

Heads of local governments will be held accountable if the governments attempt to cover up any misbehavior.

The central government called for a strict water resource management system in 2011, in a bid to better regulate the resources development and utilization, water-use efficiency and pollution.

China faces a grave situation in water resource conservation as two-thirds of its cities lack sufficient water and nearly 300 million rural residents lack access to safe drinking water.