On May 25th, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council issued the Outline of the National Water Network Construction Plan, and issued a notice requiring all regions and departments to conscientiously implement it in combination with actual situations. Many of these contents are worth paying attention to:
　　Improve the layout of urban water supply networks, optimize the layout of rural water supply projects, strengthen water resource protection and water quality assurance, and enhance the standards and guarantee level of rural water supply.
　　Coordinate the use of local and external water sources, strengthen the joint debugging and supply of surface water and groundwater, enhance the utilization of unconventional water sources such as recycled water, desalination seawater, rainwater collection and storage, mine water, and brackish water, and improve the level of water resource circulation and safe utilization.
　　In combination with the national backbone network water source engineering and water transmission and distribution engineering, a number of water-saving and ecological irrigation areas will be built, and the continuation and modernization of large and medium-sized irrigation areas will be implemented. The formulation and revision of technical standards for water network engineering will be accelerated, and a technical standard system that is suitable for water safety protection goals will be improved.
　　Strengthen the conservation, intensive and safe utilization of water resources, reasonably control the intensity of water resource development and utilization, and construct water-saving and efficient water network projects.
　　Deepen the integration of national water network engineering and new infrastructure construction, and promote the digital and intelligent construction of water network engineering.
　　Relying on the national backbone network and provincial water network, optimizing the layout of city and county river and lake water systems, promoting the construction of water conservancy infrastructure, bridging the “last mile” of flood control and drainage, and water resource allocation, and improving the basic public service level of urban and rural water conservancy.
　　Rural areas with conditions can adopt methods such as extending urban water supply networks or constructing cross village and cross township centralized water supply projects to develop large-scale centralized water supply.
　　Promote the integrated development of the national water network and modern agriculture, and build a number of modern large-scale irrigation areas in the main grain producing areas and areas with suitable soil and water resources to enhance the guarantee capacity of grain production; Promote the continued construction and renovation of large and medium-sized irrigation areas, and improve the efficiency of water transmission and distribution in irrigation areas.
　　The main content of the National Water Network Construction Plan Outline is as follows:
　　Table of contents
　　1、 Fundamentals of Planning
　　（1） Development status
　　（2） Situation requirements
　　2、 Overall requirements
　　（1） Guiding ideology
　　（2） Working principles
　　（3） Development goals
　　（4） Main tasks
　　3、 Overall layout of the national water network
　　（1） Accelerate the construction of the main framework of the national water network
　　（2） Smooth the main artery of the national water network
　　（3） Constructing backbone drainage channels
　　4、 Improve water resource allocation and water supply guarantee system
　　（1） Implement the construction of major water diversion projects
　　（2） Improve the regional water resource allocation system
　　（3） Promote the construction of water source regulation and storage projects
　　5、 Improve the flood control and disaster reduction system in river basins
　　（1） Improve the flood discharge capacity of river channels
　　（2） Enhance flood regulation and storage capacity
　　（3） Ensure flood diversion and storage functions in flood diversion and storage areas
　　（4） Enhancing flood risk prevention and control capabilities
　　6、 Improve the protection and governance system of river and lake ecosystems
　　（1） Strengthen the ecological protection and governance of rivers and lakes
　　（2） Accelerate comprehensive management of groundwater overexploitation
　　（3） Promoting water source conservation and soil and water conservation
　　7、 Promoting the high-quality development of the national water network
　　（1） Promote security development
　　（2） Promoting green development
　　（3） Accelerate smart development
　　（4） Coordinated and integrated development
　　（5） Improve institutional mechanisms
　　8、 Safeguard measures
　　（1） Strengthening the Party's leadership
　　（2） Strengthen organizational implementation
　　（3） Strengthen policy protection
　　（4） Strengthen technological support
　　In order to do a good job in the top-level design of the national water network, the Outline of the National Water Network Construction Plan has been formulated. This planning outline is an important guiding document for the construction of the national water network in the current and future periods, with a planning period from 2021 to 2035.
　　1、 Fundamentals of Planning
　　（1） Development status
　　The National Water Network is a comprehensive system based on natural rivers and lakes, with diversion and drainage engineering as channels, regulation and storage engineering as nodes, and intelligent regulation as means. It integrates functions such as optimizing water resource allocation, flood control and disaster reduction in river basins, and water ecosystem protection. Since the establishment of the People's Republic of China, the Party has led the people in carrying out magnificent water conservancy construction, building the world's largest, most extensive, and most benefited water conservancy infrastructure system. It has successfully overcome several major floods and severe droughts, providing important support for ensuring the safety of people's lives and property, promoting stable and healthy economic and social development, and laying an important foundation for building a national water network in the new era.
　　The interwoven natural river and lake water system network provides natural conditions for the construction of the national water network. The river and lake water system is the carrier of water flow, with various functions such as flood storage, drainage and sediment transportation, water supply and irrigation, inland waterway navigation, hydropower generation, and ecological maintenance. There are 45203 rivers with a drainage area of 50 square kilometers or more in China, and 2865 lakes with a water surface area of 1 square kilometer or more throughout the year. The interweaving of rivers, lakes, and water systems forms a complex and diverse river network pattern and ecosystem, becoming an important background condition for the national water network.
　　The large-scale water conservancy facilities provide an important foundation for the construction of the national water network. China has basically established a water conservancy engineering system for flood control and disaster reduction, urban and rural water supply, and farmland irrigation. The water conservancy infrastructure network has been basically formed, and national key projects such as the Three Gorges Project and the South to North Water Diversion Project have played a huge role. China has built over 98000 reservoirs of various types, with a total storage capacity of over 900 billion cubic meters and a water resource regulation capacity of about 30%; Embankments of level 5 or above cover approximately 320000 kilometers, protecting most of the population and economic zones in the country; More than 7330 large and medium-sized irrigation areas have been built, with an effective irrigation area of 1.037 billion mu of farmland. Various water conservancy projects are gradually developing from point to network and from dispersion to system, becoming an important component of the national water network.
　　The integration and development of river and lake water system connectivity and artificial infrastructure provide strong support for the construction of the national water network. Since ancient times, China has explored the practice of connecting rivers and lakes and constructing river networks. Grand projects such as Dujiangyan Irrigation Project and the Beijing Hangzhou Grand Canal are still playing an important role in benefiting the Chinese nation. With the completion of major water diversion projects such as the East and Middle Line Phase I of the South to North Water Diversion Project, the cross basin and cross regional water network pattern is gradually forming. The practice of water network construction and river lake water system connectivity in some regions has provided valuable experience for the construction of national water networks.
　　Due to the complexity of water issues and the difficulty of water management in our country, compared with the requirements of building a modern high-quality infrastructure system, the water conservancy engineering system still has problems such as weak systematicity, insufficient standards, and the need to improve its intelligence level. The overall pattern of the national water network has not yet been fully formed. The flood control and disaster reduction system is still not perfect, the ability to coordinate and allocate water resources is not high, the interconnection and collaborative integration of water conservancy projects are not enough, the modern management system and mechanism are not sound, the development of safety, green and wisdom urgently needs to be strengthened, the level and quality efficiency of water conservancy public services need to be improved, and the systematic, comprehensive, and strong resilience of water conservancy infrastructure network still needs to be enhanced.
　　（2） Situation requirements
　　At present, China has embarked on a new journey of comprehensively building a socialist modernized country and advancing towards the second centenary goal. The realization of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation is at a critical period and requires solid water security support and guarantee. Our country's economy has shifted towards a stage of high-quality development, promoting the optimization and upgrading of the economic system, and building a new development pattern. It is urgent to accelerate the filling of gaps in infrastructure and other fields, implement major projects in the national water network, fully leverage the advantages and comprehensive benefits of the super large-scale water conservancy engineering system, ensure national water security at a higher level, and support the comprehensive construction of a socialist modernized country.
　　Accelerating the construction of a national water network is an inevitable requirement to address the uneven spatial and temporal distribution of water resources and achieve spatial balance on a larger scale. The basic water situation in our country has always been characterized by summer floods and winter droughts, with a shortage in the north and abundant in the south, resulting in an extremely uneven distribution of water resources in time and space. The per capita and per mu water resources in China are only 1/4 and 1/2 of the world average, respectively. To form a unified national market and smooth domestic circulation, promote coordinated development between the north and south, it is urgent to strengthen the scientific allocation of water resources across basins and regions, solve the problem of spatial imbalance of water resources, enhance water resource regulation and supply capabilities, and ensure high-quality economic and social development.
　　Accelerating the construction of a national water network is an inevitable requirement for solving accumulated ecological and environmental debts and achieving green development. For a long time, the economic and social water use in some regions has exceeded the carrying capacity of water resources, leading to ecological problems such as water pollution, river interruption, wetland shrinkage, and overexploitation of groundwater. At present, 3% of the surface water quality in national controlled sections is still classified as Class V or inferior to Class V. The area of groundwater overexploitation in China is 280000 square kilometers, with an average annual overexploitation of 15.8 billion cubic meters. The spatial protection of rivers and lakes, the guarantee of ecological flow and water quantity, the maintenance and improvement of water quality, and the protection of biodiversity are facing severe challenges. It is urgent to systematically plan a network for optimizing the allocation of water resources, give full play to the comprehensive benefits of water resources, not only ensure the economic and social water demand, but also achieve “returning water to rivers” and revive the ecological environment of rivers and lakes.
　　Accelerating the construction of a national water network is an urgent requirement for effectively responding to the risks of water and drought disasters and building a higher standard of national security barriers. China is prone to frequent water and drought disasters, with the middle and lower reaches of major rivers vulnerable to basin floods, strong typhoons, and other impacts. The central and western regions are also vulnerable to threats such as heavy rainfall and mountain floods. The western side of the 400mm precipitation line is mostly arid, lacking water, and ecologically fragile. With the intensification of the impact of global climate change, it is necessary to accelerate the improvement of water conservancy infrastructure networks, enhance flood and drought prevention engineering standards, maintain the safety of water conservancy facilities, improve the level of digitalization, networking, and intelligent management, promote the construction of high-quality, high standard, and strong resilience safe water networks, and ensure the safe operation of the economy and society.
　　2、 Overall requirements
　　（1） Guiding ideology
　　（2） Working principles
　　——Based on the overall situation and ensuring people's livelihoods. Adhere to the principle of national unity, take a long-term and moderately advanced approach, coordinate and promote the construction of the national water network, support the development and protection of national territory, layout of productivity, and implementation of major national strategies, and provide support for the smooth circulation of domestic resources. Adhere to people-oriented principles, focus on ensuring flood control safety, water supply safety, food safety, and ecological safety, meet the people's aspirations for a better life, and continuously enhance their sense of gain, happiness, and security.
　　——Priority given to water conservation and balanced space. Taking water-saving as the basic prerequisite for implementing the national water network project, we will determine the demand for water, measure the amount of water, and adapt to water conditions. We will fully leverage the rigid constraint effect of water resources, scientifically and reasonably plan the layout of water network projects in accordance with the requirements of “real needs, ecological security, and sustainability”, optimize the spatial allocation of water resources, improve the carrying capacity of important regional water resources, and promote a balance between population economy and resource environment.
　　——Human water harmony and green ecology. We will firmly establish the concept of ecological civilization, adhere to the governance of mountains, rivers, forests, fields, lakes, grasslands, and sands, respect nature, comply with nature, and protect nature. We will integrate the concept of ecological priority and green development throughout the entire process of national water network construction and operation management, strive to build ecological water conservancy projects, continuously improve the water ecological water environment, maintain the integrity of river and lake ecosystems, achieve harmonious coexistence between humans and water, and promote sustainable development.
　　——System planning and risk management. Adhere to a systematic concept, based on the overall basin, combine benefits and pest control, and systematically solve problems related to water resources, water ecology, water environment, and water disasters. Make networking, network supplementation, and strong chain construction the focus of the national water network, promote the collaborative integration of water networks at all levels, and focus on improving the overall efficiency and comprehensive benefits of the national water network throughout its lifecycle. Strengthen bottom line thinking, enhance the initiative and effectiveness of water safety risk prevention and control.
　　——Reform and innovation, with dual efforts. Adhere to multi wheel drive and leverage the roles of the government and market, central and local governments, state-owned capital, and social capital. Innovate the national water network construction and management system and investment and financing mechanisms, and better leverage the role of water prices. Give full play to the leading role of technological innovation, vigorously promote the digitization of water networks, intelligent scheduling, and automation of monitoring and early warning, strengthen the integration of physical and digital water networks, and improve the technology and intelligence level of water network engineering.
　　（3） Development goals
　　By 2025, a number of national water network backbone projects will be constructed, and the construction of national backbone networks will be accelerated. Provincial, municipal, and county water networks will be implemented in an orderly manner, focusing on filling the gaps and weak links in water resource allocation, urban and rural water supply, flood control and drainage, water ecological protection, and water network intelligence. The ability to prevent water and drought disasters, conserve and intensively utilize water resources, optimize water resource allocation, and protect and manage the ecological environment of large rivers and lakes will be further improved. The level of intelligence in water network projects will be improved, and the national water security guarantee capacity will be significantly enhanced.
　　By 2035, the overall pattern of the national water network will be basically formed, and the main framework and arteries of the national water network will gradually be built. The water networks of provinces, cities, and counties will be basically improved, and a national water security guarantee system that is compatible with the basic realization of socialist modernization will be constructed. The level of water resource conservation, intensification, and efficient utilization has been comprehensively improved, and the level of urban and rural water supply security and drought resistance emergency response capabilities have been significantly improved; The system of flood control and disaster reduction in Rivers and Lakes is basically complete, the level of flood control security is significantly improved, and the ability to prevent, control and respond to flood and waterlogging risks is significantly enhanced; Effective protection of aquatic ecological space, effective management of soil erosion, effective guarantee of ecological water quantity in rivers and lakes, and basic formation of beautiful and healthy aquatic ecosystems; The benign operation and management mechanism of the national water network project is sound, and the basic implementation of digital, networked, and intelligent scheduling and application is achieved.
　　（4） Main tasks
　　The outline for building a national water network. Centering on the major national strategies, based on the main streams of major rivers and important Rivers and Lakes, and focusing on the east, middle and west routes of the South to North Water Transfer Project, we will scientifically promote the planning and construction of a number of major diversion and drainage projects, promote the construction of embankments on the main streams of major rivers to meet the standards, and control the river regime of key river sections. We will timely carry out standard raising construction for key river sections, build green ecological corridors for important rivers, and accelerate the construction of the main framework and arteries of the national water network.
　　The goal of weaving a dense national water network. In combination with the needs of national, provincial, and municipal water security guarantees, we will strengthen the interconnection and intercommunication between national major water resource allocation projects and regional important water resource allocation projects, promote the comprehensive treatment of major tributaries and small and medium-sized rivers, connect regional river and lake water systems, and construct water diversion and drainage projects. We will form an integrated and interconnected provincial, municipal, and county water network system that integrates urban and rural areas, improve the ecological environment quality of rivers and lakes, enhance the ability to ensure water resource allocation and defense against water and drought disasters.
　　Tie the knot in the national water network. Accelerate the construction of controlled water storage projects and key water source projects that are included in basin and regional planning and in line with the national regional development strategy, accelerate the construction of important flood storage and detention areas, fully tap into the storage capacity of existing projects, comprehensively consider functions such as flood control, water supply, irrigation, navigation, power generation, and ecology, strengthen joint scheduling of basin water projects, enhance water resource regulation capabilities, and leverage the comprehensive functions and benefits of the projects.
　　3、 Overall layout of the national water network
　　Based on the overall basin and the spatial balance of water resources, combined with the characteristics of Rivers and Lakes and the layout of water conservancy infrastructure, we should plan the stock and increment, strengthen the connection between the national backbone network and the provincial, municipal and county water networks, promote connectivity, joint commissioning, joint supply, and coordinated prevention and control, gradually form the “one network” of the national water network, and jointly play the role of ensuring water security, promote the balance between water resources and population and economic layout, and support high-quality economic and social development.
　　（1） Accelerate the construction of the main framework of the national water network
　　According to the natural geographical pattern, distribution of river basins, water infrastructure network, and connectivity of river and lake water systems in China, the main framework of the national water network consists of a main network and a regional network. In the future, according to the long-term development strategy of the country, the coverage range of the main network will be gradually expanded, and it will be interconnected with the regional network to form an integrated national water network.
　　（2） Smooth the main artery of the national water network
　　Fully leverage the comprehensive functions of important national rivers such as the Yangtze River and Yellow River in flood control, water transportation, and ecology, accelerate the improvement of the overall layout of the South to North Water Diversion Project, and solidly promote the high-quality development of subsequent projects. Fully leverage the lifeline role of the South to North Water Diversion Project, make full use of the water supply capacity of the first phase of the East and Middle Lines, and improve the water supply efficiency of the project. Adhere to scientific layout, accurately grasp the characteristics of the eastern, central, and western lines, strengthen top-level design, optimize strategic arrangements, deepen scheme comparison, conduct research on major issues, innovate institutional mechanisms, and coordinate the promotion of subsequent engineering construction.
　　（3） Constructing backbone drainage channels
　　Based on the needs of economic and social development and ecological environment protection, a number of major water resource allocation projects and backbone projects for river flood control and governance should be reasonably arranged and constructed, forming a north-south and east-west crisscrossing backbone water transmission and drainage channel. Taking into account the water security needs of important regions, optimizing the water resource allocation system, and promoting the construction of backbone projects for water resource allocation. Accelerate the implementation of upgrading and improving the quality of important river embankments, as well as comprehensive river management. Construct new （expanded） important flood diversion channels, improve the flood control engineering system of the basin, and enhance the flood discharge capacity of rivers.
　　4、 Improve water resource allocation and water supply guarantee system
　　In response to the distribution characteristics of water resources in China, which are characterized by summer floods, winter droughts, and shortages in the north and south, focusing on national development strategies and modernization goals, we adhere to the principle of prioritizing water conservation, prioritizing water quantity, and balancing source and expenditure. We adopt a combination of “controlling demand and increasing supply” measures, scientifically plan and construct water resource allocation and source engineering under the premise of deep water conservation and water control. Based on the interwoven natural water system and artificial waterways, we improve the water resource allocation pattern, achieve mutual benefit and coordination of water resources, promote scientific water allocation, rational water use, optimal water use, and differentiated water supply, comprehensively enhance the overall allocation capacity of water resources, and improve the degree of water supply guarantee and risk resistance in water scarce areas.
　　（1） Implement the construction of major water diversion projects
　　Adhere to the principle of water conservation before base note, pollution control before water supply, environmental protection before water use, focus on the overall development of the river basin, take into account the ecological, shipping, power generation and other water security, promote the high-quality development of the follow-up projects of the South to North Water Transfer, implement a number of major water diversion projects, strengthen connectivity, accelerate the formation of strategic water transport channels, optimize the macro allocation pattern of water resources, enhance the allocation capacity of water resources between river basins and regions and the urban and rural water supply security capacity, and promote the optimization and adjustment of China's population and economic layout and land space utilization pattern.
　　（2） Improve the regional water resource allocation system
　　Strengthen the interconnection between national major water resource allocation projects and regional important water resource allocation projects, carry out water system connectivity between water source projects and different water resource allocation projects, and enhance the regional water resource allocation and guarantee capabilities. Improve the layout of urban water supply networks, strengthen long-term management and protection of drinking water sources, improve water quality, accelerate the construction of emergency backup water source projects in cities, and form a multi source, high guarantee water supply pattern. Optimize the layout of rural water supply projects, strengthen water resource protection and water quality assurance, and improve the standards and guarantee level of rural water supply. Coordinate the use of local and external water sources, strengthen the joint debugging and supply of surface water and groundwater, enhance the utilization of unconventional water sources such as recycled water, desalination seawater, rainwater collection and storage, mine water, and brackish water, and improve the level of water resource circulation and safe utilization. In drought prone areas, strengthen the construction of drought resistant water diversion and reservoir connectivity projects, improve water source allocation and drought resistant water supply guarantee capabilities, and ensure the water demand for urban and rural areas during the drought period.
　　Focusing on grain production functional areas, important agricultural product production protection areas, and characteristic agricultural product advantage areas, in areas with suitable soil and water resources such as the Songnen Plain in Northeast China, the Huanghuaihai Plain, and the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, combined with national backbone network water source projects and water transmission and distribution projects, a number of water-saving and ecological irrigation areas will be newly built, and large-scale irrigation areas will be continued and modernized. The irrigation and drainage backbone engineering system will be improved, and efficient water-saving new technologies and mechanisms will be innovated and promoted to improve the utilization efficiency of soil and water resources and consolidate the foundation of national food security.
　　（3） Promote the construction of water source regulation and storage projects
　　Fully tap into the potential of existing water source regulation and storage projects, accelerate the construction of backbone water source projects that have been included in the plan, and enhance the capacity of water resource regulation and storage. Accelerate the construction of small and medium-sized water source projects in underdeveloped areas, revolutionary old areas, ethnic and island areas, and key counties for national rural revitalization, and enhance the capacity of urban and rural water supply guarantee.
　　5、 Improve the flood control and disaster reduction system in river basins
　　Adhere to the principle of putting people first and life first, prioritize the protection of people's lives and property safety, follow the disaster prevention, reduction and relief concept of “two persistence and three transformation”, and comprehensively enhance the ability to ensure flood control and safety. In view of the new situation and requirements of flood and drought disaster prevention, from the perspective of the basin as a whole, focusing on major Rivers and Lakes, we carried out the revision of flood control planning for seven major basins, further optimized the layout of flood control and disaster reduction systems in the basins, made arrangements for flood and waterlogging water outlets, comprehensively adopted the measures of “expanding drainage, increasing storage, and controlling risks”, built a modern flood control engineering system consisting of reservoirs, rivers, embankments, and flood diversion and detention areas based on the basin as a unit, scientifically improved the standards of flood and waterlogging disaster prevention projects, coordinated flood control engineering and non engineering measures, further enhanced the capacity of flood and waterlogging disaster prevention, minimized disaster losses, and ensured the safety of flood control for important cities, important economic regions, and important infrastructure.
　　（1） Improve the flood discharge capacity of river channels
　　Focusing on the construction of river embankments up to standard and river regulation, we will speed up the regulation of the Yangtze River, the Yellow River, Huaihe River, Haihe River, the Pearl River, Songhua River, Liao River, Dongting Lake, Poyang Lake, the Taihu Lake Lake and other major rivers and lakes, keep the river channels unblocked and the river regime stable, and comprehensively improve the flood discharge capacity of river channels. For key river sections involving national major strategies, important economic zones, important urban agglomerations, and important flood control cities, in accordance with the requirements of basin flood control planning and regulations, the flood control capacity shall be reviewed, flood control standards shall be revised, and standard construction shall be carried out in a timely manner. Accelerate the implementation of small and medium-sized river management, and prioritize the management of river sections with county-level or above cities, important towns, and relatively concentrated populations along the river. For the rivers in the northern region, emphasis should be placed on strengthening the improvement of the river system, reducing sedimentation and shrinking of the river, and restoring the flood discharge capacity of the river. For rivers in the southern region, the focus is on maintaining stable river conditions and flood storage space, coordinating the relationship between main and tributaries, coordinating flood control and drainage, and reducing the flood control pressure on the main stream. New （expanded） construction of a number of backbone flood discharge channels to solve problems such as insufficient discharge channels and poor flood discharge in plain river network areas. Strengthen river mouth management, standardize the flow path into the sea, and maintain stable and smooth river mouths.
　　（2） Enhance flood regulation and storage capacity
　　Accelerate the construction of a number of basin controlled reservoir projects, improve the flood regulation and storage capacity of rivers, and strive to seize the initiative in basin flood prevention and control. The Yangtze River Basin focuses on promoting the construction of control hubs for upstream Qujiang and Tuojiang rivers, midstream Qingjiang water system, and downstream tributaries such as Shuiyang River and Qingyi River; Key efforts will be made to accelerate the construction of control projects such as Dongzhuang in the Yellow River Basin, and to orderly promote projects such as Guxian; The Huai River Basin focuses on the construction of flood control projects for upstream tributaries such as the Huanghe River and Ruhe River, as well as important flood discharge channels in the Yishu River and Shandong Peninsula; The construction of flood control hubs such as Xijiang River and Liujiang River will be accelerated in the the Pearl River basin; The southeastern rivers are promoting the construction of control hubs such as the Qiantang River and Saijiang River. Accelerate the implementation of hazard removal and reinforcement for dangerous reservoirs, and improve the normalized management and protection mechanism. Strengthen scientific scheduling, improve the level of flood resource utilization, and leverage the comprehensive benefits of regulation and storage projects.
　　（3） Ensure flood diversion and storage functions in flood diversion and storage areas
　　According to the arrangement of flood discharge routes and flood control protection requirements in the river basin, optimize and adjust the layout of flood storage and detention areas, accelerate the construction of important flood storage and detention areas in the Yangtze River, Yellow River, Huai River, Hai River and other river basins, and ensure normal flood diversion and storage functions. Strengthen land use, industrial guidance, and population size control in flood storage and detention areas. Where conditions permit, scientific and orderly implementation of returning farmland （polders） to lakes will be carried out. Prohibit illegal occupation of rivers and lakes, and protect flood storage spaces. With the goal of restoring flood storage space, flood discharge channels, and ecological space, we will adopt a “double retreat” or “single retreat” approach according to local conditions, carry out classified rectification of embankments and embankments, and restore flood discharge and detention functions. Optimize the treatment plan for the lower reaches of the Yellow River and guide the orderly migration of population from the area.
　　（4） Enhancing flood risk prevention and control capabilities
　　Fully consider the extreme weather impacts and changes in flood control situations caused by climate change, scientifically improve flood control engineering standards, enhance the awareness of safety risks in the whole society, and effectively respond to the threat of excessive floods. Enhance the level of intelligent flood control in the watershed, strengthen four measures: forecasting, early warning, rehearsal, and contingency plan. Strengthen the joint operation of water projects such as reservoirs, leverage the overall advantages of the flood control engineering system, and comprehensively enhance the flood control safety guarantee capacity of the basin. For the prominent risk points such as dangerous reservoir sluice, rainstorm flood and mountain flood disasters in small and medium-sized rivers, timely and effectively eliminate the potential risks and improve the ability to deal with flood disasters.
　　6、 Improve the protection and governance system of river and lake ecosystems
　　We will firmly establish the concept of ecological civilization, with the improvement of ecosystem quality and stability as the core, adhere to systematic governance, comprehensive governance, and source governance, coordinate the upstream, midstream, and downstream of the river basin, take into account surface and underground conditions, and implement comprehensive policies according to local conditions. We will vigorously promote ecological protection and restoration of rivers and lakes, strengthen comprehensive management of groundwater overexploitation, strengthen water source conservation and soil and water conservation ecological construction, accelerate the recovery of the ecological environment of rivers and lakes, restore the life of rivers and the vitality of the basin, and achieve sustainable utilization of river and lake functions.
　　（1） Strengthen the ecological protection and governance of rivers and lakes
　　In accordance with the requirements of reshaping and maintaining the healthy life form of rivers, the ecological flow targets of rivers and lakes are determined by zoning and classification, water conservation and optimized allocation of water resources are strengthened, the ecological water use of rivers and lakes that have been squeezed out is reduced, and ecological replenishment of key rivers, lakes, and wetlands is carried out to ensure the ecological flow of rivers and lakes and maintain biodiversity. Strengthen the system of river and lake chiefs, deeply promote the normalization and standardization of the “Four Disorders” （cleaning up illegal occupation, illegal mining, illegal stacking, and illegal construction） in rivers and lakes, and continuously rectify the problem of encroachment and damage to rivers and lakes. Strengthen the supervision and inspection of rivers and lakes, and consolidate the effectiveness of urban black and odorous water treatment. Carry out inspections and rectification of discharge outlets in rivers （lakes）， strengthen dredging and obstacle removal, ecological restoration, water system connectivity, improve water circulation and hydrodynamic conditions in rivers and lakes, and restore a green water ecological environment with clear water and green banks. Accelerate the delineation of the scope of river and lake management and shoreline protection, strengthen the zoning and control of shoreline functions, implement the restoration of river and lake spatial zones, and create a green ecological corridor along the river and lake that is ecologically livable and convenient for water. Promote ecological restoration and comprehensive management of major river mouths. Strengthen the protection of major water diversion projects, water source areas, and centralized drinking water source areas.
　　（2） Accelerate comprehensive management of groundwater overexploitation
　　We will deepen the comprehensive management of groundwater overexploitation in key regions such as North China. Based on the determination of groundwater intake and water level control indicators, we will take comprehensive measures such as strengthening water conservation, prohibiting and limiting extraction, and replacing water sources to reduce groundwater overexploitation and strictly control the intensity of groundwater development. Strengthen the protection of groundwater resources and implement zoning management and protection in accordance with the requirements of prohibited and restricted mining areas. Increase water supply through multiple channels, and in areas with conditions, implement groundwater replenishment in overexploited areas by utilizing local water, external water transfer, and recycled water, gradually achieving a balance between extraction and replenishment.
　　（3） Promoting water source conservation and soil and water conservation
　　Strengthen the protection of the “Chinese Water Tower” on the Qinghai Tibet Plateau, increase the intensity of enclosure and protection, implement preventive measures such as forest and grass vegetation restoration according to local conditions, improve the comprehensive coverage of forest and grass vegetation, and enhance the self repair ability and stability of the ecosystem. Focusing on the upper and middle reaches of the Yangtze River, the upper and middle reaches of the Yellow River, the black soil area in Northeast China, the karst rocky desertification area in Southwest China, the Three Gorges and Danjiangkou reservoir areas, we will promote projects such as slope farmland, silt dams, erosion ditches, and landslide control according to local conditions. We will adopt a combination of engineering and biological measures to comprehensively prevent soil erosion and improve the effectiveness of governance. Taking the watershed as a unit, with the goals of green mountains, clean water, beautiful villages, and rich people, we will coordinate and allocate measures such as channel management, biological filter belts, water source conservation, conservation, and ecological restoration to create an ecological clean small watershed.
　　7、 Promoting the high-quality development of the national water network
　　Overall planning for the construction of national backbone networks and provincial, municipal, and county water networks, adhering to high standards and levels, promoting the safe, green, intelligent, and integrated development of water networks, improving management systems and mechanisms, and comprehensively enhancing water safety guarantee capabilities and levels.
　　（1） Promote security development
　　Improve water safety standards. High standard construction of the national water network project, upgrading and transforming existing projects to improve the overall safety of the water network. In response to the impact of climate change and the need for flood control safety, we will review the flood control capacity of the watershed area, analyze the risk of flood disasters, optimize flood control zoning, and increase the importance of protected objects such as urban level and population size along the river or add new flood control tasks to the river section. We will reasonably improve the flood control safety guarantee standards and flood control engineering standards. Taking improving the guarantee rate of urban and rural water supply as the core, effectively addressing water supply risks such as severe drought and water pollution, and enhancing the safety standards and guarantee level of urban and rural water supply. Accelerate the formulation and revision of technical standards for water network engineering, and improve the technical standard system that is in line with the requirements of water safety assurance goals. Simultaneously improving monitoring and measuring facilities while promoting engineering construction.
　　Strengthen water safety risk prevention and control. Focusing on risk prevention and control in water resources, flood control, and aquatic ecology, we will improve the national water network engineering safety protection system, strengthen safety risk identification, establish a full chain control mechanism for risk identification, assessment, warning, prevention, disposal, and responsibility, and ensure the safe operation of water network engineering. Strengthen the unified scheduling of water networks and joint scheduling of water engineering, leverage the overall efficiency of water network operation, enhance system safety resilience and risk resistance. Develop emergency plans for water network construction and operation management safety risks, prevent and resolve sudden water safety incidents, and promptly eliminate risk hazards.
　　（2） Promoting green development
　　Strengthen rigid constraints on water resource carrying capacity. The construction of the national water network should fully consider the carrying capacity of water resources in the basin region, adhere to the principles of water based city, land, people, and production, strengthen the conservation, intensive and safe use of water resources, reasonably control the intensity of water resource development and utilization, and construct water-saving and efficient water network projects. For the construction of water networks in areas with water resource overload, it is necessary to strengthen demand side management, vigorously promote water conservation in various fields, optimize industrial layout and structural adjustment, reasonably plan and construct water diversion projects, increase water source supply, reduce the ecological water volume of river channels occupied, reduce groundwater overexploitation, and alleviate the supply-demand contradiction of water resources. For the construction of water networks in areas with potential for water resource development, full consideration should be given to factors such as river systems, water resource conditions, and ecological environment. Coordination should be made between upstream and downstream, left and right banks, main and tributaries, inflow and outflow areas, and water demand in relevant areas should be coordinated. Reasonable determination of available outflow water should be made to provide water source support for the construction of water networks.
　　Construct an ecological water network project. Integrating the concept of ecological civilization throughout the entire process of national water network planning, design, construction, operation, and management, optimizing the layout and construction plan of water network engineering, strictly implementing the environmental impact assessment system of planning and construction projects, implementing the requirements of national spatial planning and control, and avoiding the construction of water network engineering from encroaching on farmland, permanent basic farmland, and ecological protection red lines as much as possible, to avoid covering important mineral deposits. The construction of water network projects such as river management, embankment reinforcement, water diversion, and water storage focuses on ecological protection and land conservation and intensification. Ecological friendly construction plans, building materials, and construction techniques are adopted, and ecological transformation is implemented for existing water network projects according to local conditions. Small hydropower cleaning and rectification, as well as green transformation and upgrading, are carried out in depth to build a green water conservancy infrastructure network. Strengthen the ecological regulation of water networks, ensure the ecological flow of rivers and lakes, and maintain the integrity and biodiversity of river and lake ecosystems. Promote the improvement of the horizontal ecological protection and compensation mechanism in the watershed region. Pay attention to the protection, inheritance, and promotion of excellent water culture in engineering construction.
　　（3） Accelerate smart development
　　Strengthen the digital construction of water networks. Deepen the integration of national water network engineering and new infrastructure construction, and promote the digital and intelligent construction of water network engineering. Focusing on natural geography, main and branch water systems, water conservancy engineering, and economic and social information, we aim to build a digital twin water network, accelerate the construction of digital scenes that map physical water flow processes and their response processes, enhance the digitalization level of water network engineering, and achieve dynamic real-time information exchange and deep integration between physical and digital water networks. Promote the connection between water network engineering and related industry digital platforms, and achieve information sharing.
　　Improve the intelligence level of water network scheduling management. Accelerate the construction of the national water network dispatch center, big data center, and watershed sub center, and build a national water network dispatch command system. Through intelligent simulation, support the simulation and analysis of all elements of water network forecasting, early warning, rehearsal, and contingency plans, provide intelligent decision-making support, and improve the comprehensive scheduling and management level of water network flood control, water supply, ecology, and other aspects.
　　Improve the water network monitoring system. Fully utilize the existing monitoring station network, accelerate the optimization and construction of monitoring station networks for important rivers and their main tributaries, as well as small and medium-sized rivers, strengthen monitoring of hydrological and water resources, water intake and drainage, river and lake space, water ecological environment, soil and water conservation, water engineering safety, etc., and comprehensively enhance the monitoring and awareness capabilities of water networks. Promote the application of new technologies and means such as next-generation communication technology, high-resolution remote sensing satellites, and artificial intelligence, improve the automation and intelligence level of monitoring equipment, and create a fully covered, high-precision, multi-dimensional, and safe water network monitoring system.
　　（4） Coordinated and integrated development
　　Strengthen the interconnection and interoperability between national backbone networks and provincial-level water networks. Coordinate national and regional water security needs, strengthen the connection and interconnection between national backbone networks and provincial water networks, do a good job in provincial water network planning and construction, and leverage the overall benefits of water network projects. In northern water scarce areas, relying on the backbone projects of cross basin water transfer, we will build and improve provincial-level water networks, improve water resource allocation capacity and water supply guarantee, gradually reduce the level of water resource development and utilization, and strengthen the utilization of flood resources. Through water network engineering, the southern regions with abundant water resources can improve their flood control and drainage capabilities, coordinate and allocate water resources, and enhance the hydrodynamics of rivers and lakes.
　　Promote the coordinated integration of provincial, municipal, and county water networks in an orderly manner. Relying on the national backbone network and provincial water network, optimizing the layout of city and county river and lake water systems, promoting the construction of water conservancy infrastructure, bridging the “last mile” of flood control and drainage, and water resource allocation, and improving the basic public service level of urban and rural water conservancy. Adapt to local conditions to carry out urban water system connectivity, leave sufficient ecological space for urban rivers and lakes, flood control and drainage space, promote the use of recycled water resources, and improve the efficiency of water resource utilization. Rural areas with conditions can adopt methods such as extending urban water supply networks or constructing cross village and cross township centralized water supply projects to develop large-scale centralized water supply. Improve the irrigation and drainage system, carry out water system connectivity and water beauty rural construction, and enhance the ability to ensure rural water security.
　　Strengthen the coordinated development of water networks and related industries. Promote the integrated development of the national water network and modern agriculture, and build a number of modern large-scale irrigation areas in the main grain producing areas and areas with suitable soil and water resources to enhance the guarantee capacity of grain production; Promote the continued construction and renovation of large and medium-sized irrigation areas, and improve the efficiency of water transmission and distribution in irrigation areas. Promote the integration and development of the water network and the power industry, and strengthen the collaborative integration of the national water network and hydropower bases. Promote the integrated development of water network and energy industry layout, based on strengthening water conservation, optimize industrial layout according to water resource carrying conditions, plan water network construction reasonably, and ensure the reasonable water demand of important energy bases. Promote the integration and development of water networks and shipping, strengthen the coordination of water networks and shipping channels, combine with comprehensive basin planning, scientifically demonstrate and orderly promote the development of inland waterway shipping. Consolidate the main shipping channels such as the golden waterway of the Yangtze River, the the Pearl River, and the southern section of the Grand Canal to the Yellow River, strengthen the planning and construction of the Jianghan Canal, the Jianghuai Canal, and other projects, and promote the construction of the Pinglu Canal.
　　（5） Improve institutional mechanisms
　　Innovate the management system for water network construction. Actively explore the integrated construction management model of investment, construction, and operation. For the construction of national backbone networks, the central or provincial level shall establish a project legal person responsible for construction, operation and management. For the construction of water networks in provinces, cities, and counties, relying on water pipe units, water supply companies, investment and financing platforms with certain scale and professional advantages, establish water network construction and operation entities. Support social capital to participate in the construction and operation of eligible water network projects through equity cooperation, franchising, government and social capital cooperation, and other means.
　　Establish a sound mechanism for the healthy operation of water networks. Improve the national water network scheduling and operation mechanism, and enhance the efficiency and efficiency of water network operation. Research and establish a system for water network operation and scheduling management, and improve the level of institutionalized management. Promote the reform of water rights and water markets, standardize and clarify water rights, and improve the market-oriented trading system for water rights. Accelerate the reform of water network water supply prices, innovate and improve the price formation mechanism that combines public welfare and operational water supply, establish and improve a water price formation mechanism that is conducive to promoting water resource conservation and the healthy operation of water conservancy projects, and is compatible with the reform of the water conservancy investment and financing system. Deepen the comprehensive reform of agricultural water prices and improve the incentive mechanism for water conservation. Establish a normalized mechanism for the operation and maintenance of water network projects, actively promote the separation of management and maintenance, and promote the professionalization and standardization of management. Deepen the reform of engineering management system, explore centralized management mode, and promote the healthy operation of engineering.
　　8、 Safeguard measures
　　（1） Strengthening the Party's leadership
　　Adhere to and strengthen the comprehensive leadership of the Party, enhance the “four consciousnesses”, strengthen the “four confidences”, and achieve the “two safeguards”, fully leverage the core leadership role of the Party in overall planning and coordinating all parties, and ensure the correct political direction of the national water network construction. Implement a work mechanism of central coordination, provincial overall responsibility, and city and county implementation, comprehensively mobilize the enthusiasm, initiative, and creativity of cadres at all levels in building the national water network, and ensure the timely completion of the goals and tasks set in this plan outline.
　　（2） Strengthen organizational implementation
　　Strengthen the overall design and organizational support of the national water network, improve the planning system for the construction of the national water network, establish and improve the coordination and promotion mechanism for the implementation of the planning outline, strengthen departmental collaboration and linkage between upper and lower levels, comprehensively consider and implement policies in different regions, and combine economic and social development with the progress of preliminary project work to scientifically and orderly promote the overall planning and collaborative construction of water network projects at all levels. Innovate the promotion mechanism for provincial water network construction and carry out the construction of leading areas for provincial water networks. Deepen the preliminary demonstration of water network engineering, scientifically and reasonably determine the construction scale, layout, and plan of the project, and strive to maximize the comprehensive benefits of the water network. Relevant departments and localities should incorporate major national water network projects into the five-year plan for national economic and social development and rolling implementation of relevant special plans. During the 14th Five Year Plan period, we will focus on implementing a number of major national water network projects with sufficient planning basis, good preliminary work foundation, and high local construction enthusiasm.
　　（3） Strengthen policy protection
　　All relevant departments should refine and improve supporting policies such as project approval, capital investment, land and sea use, and ecological environment, and actively support the planning and construction of national water network projects. Strengthen the coordination between water networks and national spatial planning, and integrate national water network construction projects into one map of national spatial planning. Multi channel fundraising for construction, fully leveraging the role of government investment, and central investment to support the construction of the national water network project. According to the principles of marketization and rule of law, we will deepen the reform of the water conservancy investment and financing system, implement water pricing standards and charging systems, establish a reasonable return mechanism, and expand the scale of equity and debt financing. Explore and standardize the implementation of project legal person bidding, government and social capital cooperation models for reservoirs and water diversion projects with operating profits such as power generation and water supply, and actively guide social capital to participate in project construction and operation in accordance with the law. Promote eligible projects to pilot real estate investment trust funds in the field of infrastructure, and activate existing assets.
　　（4） Strengthen technological support
　　Actively carry out research on major issues and key technology breakthroughs in the construction of the national water network, and use theoretical methods such as systems theory and network technology to improve the basic research and technological research and development level of water network planning, system design, construction, and joint scheduling. Strengthen the construction of national water network research capacity, rely on strong research institutions, and establish national water network research bases. Absorb and learn from advanced technologies both domestically and internationally, and promote the use of practical technologies. Accelerate the cultivation and practical training of scientific and technological talents in the field of water network construction, cultivate leading figures and specialized scientific and technological innovation teams, and provide talent support for the construction of the national water network.