This year, more than 60 billion yuan of water conservancy development funds will be allocated through the general public budget
Strengthen the construction of water conservancy projects and expand the effective investment (authoritative release)
Our reporter Li Xiaoqing
On April 8, the State Council Information Office held a regular briefing on policies of the State Council to introduce the construction of water conservancy projects in 2022.
This year, the investment in water conservancy projects will be about 800 billion yuan
The spatial and temporal distribution of water resources in my country is extremely uneven, with summer floods and winter dryness, shortages in the north and southern abundance, and frequent floods and droughts.
A large number of major water conservancy projects have been completed and brought into full play, forming the world's largest and most extensive water conservancy infrastructure system with the largest number of beneficiaries.
However, there are still prominent problems such as imperfect flood control engineering system in the basin, insufficient capacity for overall allocation of water resources, heavy tasks of water ecological and water environment governance, and low level of systematic, networked and intelligent water conservancy infrastructure.
Wei Shanzhong, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Water Resources, said: "Water conservancy projects have a good foundation for planning and preliminary work, especially major water conservancy projects that absorb large investments, have a long industrial chain, and create many employment opportunities. It plays an important role in stimulating effective investment demand and promoting stable economic growth, and accelerating the construction of water conservancy infrastructure has needs, conditions and foundations."
Recently, the executive meeting of the State Council proposed to start a batch of projects that have been included in the plan and have mature conditions this year, including major water diversion projects such as the follow-up project of the South-to-North Water Diversion, key flood control and disaster reduction, reinforcement of dangerous reservoirs, construction and renovation of irrigation areas and other projects.
These projects, together with other water conservancy projects, can complete the annual investment of about 800 billion yuan.
From January to March this year, the national investment in water conservancy was 107.7 billion yuan. Compared with the same period last year, the investment in water conservancy increased by 35%.
In order to complete this year's water conservancy construction tasks, Wei Shanzhong said that the Ministry of Water Resources will work with relevant departments and localities to refine work responsibilities, do a good job in preliminary work, implement construction funds, speed up project construction, and increase supervision.
Accelerate the implementation of water conservancy projects under construction, and speed up the review and approval of major water conservancy projects that meet the needs of economic and social development, the preliminary technical demonstrations are basically mature, there are no major differences between provinces, and the local governments are more willing to promote project construction.
Promote the high-quality development of water conservancy in the new stage and enhance the national water security capability.
Central finance increases financial support for water conservancy development
The construction of water conservancy projects is inseparable from the guarantee of funds. How is the financial investment in water conservancy in recent years?
Jiang Dayu, head of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of the Ministry of Finance, introduced that in recent years, the investment in water conservancy projects has achieved steady growth.
"From 2019 to 2021, the Ministry of Finance has arranged a total of more than 440 billion yuan through the general public budget, of which 170 billion yuan has been allocated for water conservancy development, focusing on supporting flood control and drought relief water conservancy improvement projects, comprehensive management of groundwater overexploitation areas, and water conservation in medium-sized irrigation areas. Renovation, etc. A total of 153.6 billion yuan has been allocated through relevant government funds to increase assistance to the resettlers in the reservoir area, support the follow-up work of the Three Gorges and the construction of the first phase of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project.”
Jiang Dayu introduced that in 2022, the central government will increase support, optimize the expenditure structure, and improve policy effectiveness.
"This year, we have allocated 150.7 billion yuan through the general public budget, of which 60.6 billion yuan has been invested in water conservancy development; 57.2 billion yuan has been allocated through government funds, creating favorable conditions for expanding water conservancy investment this year. At the same time, local government bonds have also increased their investment in water conservancy projects. Project support. In terms of support focus, adhere to goal-oriented, result-oriented, focus on weak points, focus on key areas, focus on key areas, while increasing efforts, further improve the incentive and restraint mechanism, and urge local governments to implement investment responsibilities.”
Give full play to the role of major water conservancy projects in stabilizing investment and expanding domestic demand
Major water conservancy projects are an important area of infrastructure investment. What specific measures and considerations are there in promoting the construction of major water conservancy projects this year?
Wu Xiao, director of the Rural Economy Department of the National Development and Reform Commission, introduced that there are three main measures.
The first is to speed up the progress of the preliminary work of the project.
In accordance with the principle of "very necessary, ecologically safe and sustainable" for major water conservancy projects, speed up the preliminary work of major water conservancy projects, strengthen communication and coordination with relevant departments and localities, and speed up the progress of project approval in accordance with the project approval authority.
The second is to increase investment support.
This year, on the basis of ensuring the reasonable expenditure intensity of water conservancy investment within the central budget, we will continue to optimize the investment structure, and further give preference to the construction of major water conservancy projects, focusing on ensuring cross-basin and cross-administrative regions, supporting the implementation of major national strategies, flood control and disaster reduction, and national food security. major security projects.
The third is to deepen the reform of water conservancy investment and financing.
It will encourage and support local governments to establish a reasonable return mechanism based on operating income such as water supply and power generation of projects, actively guide social capital to participate in project construction and operation in compliance with laws and regulations, and expand the scale of equity and debt financing.