我国水资源总量28000×10⁸m³，按1997年人口计算，人均水资源量为2220m³，预测到2030年人口增至16×10⁸时，人均水资源量将降到1760m³。按国际上一般承认的标准，人均水资源量少于1700m³为用水紧张的国家，我国未来水资源的形势是严峻的。

50年来，全国用水总量从1949年的1 000多亿m³增加到1997年的5 566 × 10⁸ m³,其中农业用水占75.3%，工业20.2%,城镇生活4.5%,人均综合用水量从不足200 m³增加到458 m³。当前面临的问题是，防洪安全仍缺乏保障；水资源的紧缺与用水的浪费并存；水土资源过度开发造成对生态环境的破坏；水环境恶化和水质污染迅速扩展，已到极为严重的程度。

研究报告指出，通过建设节水高效的现代农业，我国可以基本立足于现有规模的耕地和灌溉用水量，满足今后16×10⁸人口的农产品需要；预测我国用水高峰将在2030年前后出现，用水总量为（7 000〜8 000) × 10⁸ m³/a,人均综合用水量为400〜500 m³/a;全国实际可能利用的水资源量约为（8 000〜9 500) × 10⁸m³,需水量已接近可能利用水量的极限；必须严格控制人口的继续增长，同时加强需水管理，做到在人口达到零增长后，需水也逐步达到零增长；我国水资源的总体战略必须以水资源的可持续利用支持经济的可持续发展，建议从防洪减灾、农业用水、城市和工业用水、防污减灾、生态环境建设、水资源的供需平衡、北方水资源问题及西北地区水资源问题等8个方面实行战略性转变；同时必须进行水资源管理体制、水资源投资机制和水价政策的3项改革。

The total water resource volume in China is 28 000 × 10⁸m_³. According to the demographic statistics in 1997, the average water resource per person is 2 220 m3 and will be, by estimation, decreased to 1 760 m³ in the year of 2030 with the population growing to 16 × 10⁸. According to the commonly accepted standard, a nation which has a water resource volume per person below 1 700 m³ will be considered to be short of water resource. The water resource in future is seriously sufficient.

During the past 50 years, the national water consumption has been been lifted from above 1 000 × 10⁸ m³ in 1949 to 5 566 × 10⁸ m³ in 1997, among which agricultural water consumption was 75.3%, industrial water consumption 20.2%, and the water consumption in cities 4.5%. The average comprehensive water consumption per person rose from below 200 m³ to 458 m³. The problems confronted at present are: lack of flood prevention safety; coexistence of water resource shortage and the extravagance of water resource; the damage to e-cological environment resulted from over-exploitation of water and land resource; the deterioration of water environment and the rapid worsening of water pollution. These problems are very grave now.

This report points out that establishing modern agriculture which can efficiently save water can enable the present cultivated area and the irrigation water amount to produce sufficient products meeting the needs of population of 16 × 10⁸. The water consumtion peak in our country will appear around 2030, with the water con-sumption amounting (7 000〜8 000) x 10⁸ m³/a and the average water consumption per person 400 ~ 500 m³. By that time, the actual utilizable water volume throughout the whole country will be (8 000〜9 500) × 10⁸ m³, and that is to say the needed water amount will be approaching the utilizable water volume limit. Consequently, population should be strictly controlled from urther growing and water management to reinforced for the purpose of zero increase of needed water volume when population reaches zero-growth. The general strategy of water resource in China must be the sustainable utilization of water resource supporting the sustainable development of economy.

It is also proposed in this report that strategic shifting be implemented on aspects of flood and disaster prevention;agricultural water consumption; water consumption in cities and industry; pollution and disaster prevention;ecological environment construction; equilibrium between water supplying and needing; solutions to the water resource problem in northern and western China.