Rules to cut groundwater exploitation in China

China will strive to address excessive exploitation and pollution of groundwater with a regulation that includes a maximum fine of 5 million yuan ($783,000), officials said.

They spoke at a news conference organized by the State Council Information Office on Monday, following the publication of a recent regulation on groundwater management.

The new regulation sets out specific rules for groundwater in the areas of survey and planning, conservation and protection, overexploitation treatment, pollution control, and supervision and management.

The first of its kind in China, the regulation will take effect on Dec 1, said Wei Shanzhong, vice-minister of water resources.

China has made marked progress in the management of groundwater, he said. After peaking at 113 billion cubic meters in 2012, annual national groundwater exploitation across the country dropped to 89.2 billion cubic meters last year.

According to the ministry, by the end of December last year, the shallow groundwater in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region－one of the major regions with excessive exploitation－had risen an average of 23 centimeters.

Wei said, however, that China is still confronted with challenges in addressing excessive exploitation and pollution.