Water resources of China

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The Water resources of China include 2,711.5 cubic kilometers of mean annual runoff in its rivers and 828.8 cubic kilometers which was pumped annually from shallow aquifers circa 2000. As pumping water draws water from nearby rivers, the total available resource is 2,821.4 cubic kilometers. 80.9% of these resources are in the Yangtze River basin. In 1993 498,720 square kilometers were irrigated.

China is facing many problems in managing its water resources. Flooding is still a major problem, demand for water is rapidly exceeding supply and water pollution has yet to be effectively controlled. The contamination of the Songhe River following an explosion at a Jilin chemical plant in November 2005 has highlighted the extent of the water pollution problem.