淡水资源是人类生存与经济社会发展的物质基础。我国西北地区的经济开发与发展，水资源问题特别突出。文章就西北地区开发中贯彻“人与自然和谐共存的方针”问题作了进一步讨论，提出在开发利用西北水资源过程中，必须从西北地区水资源总量不大，年蒸发量特别大，年降水量又很小的情况出发，积极节流开源，节约用水，防止水资源浪费，提高用水效益，减少水的污染，回收水资源，改善环境。建议积极走“藏水于地下”，扩大地下水与合理开发地下水之路。同时坚持不断地扩大可用的淡水资源。

Freshwater resources are the material basis for human subsistence and economic and social development. The problem of water resources is very severe in the process of development in the northwestern region of China. This paper further discusses the problem concerning the implementation of the uprinciple of harmonious co-existence of man and nature” during the development of the northwestern region, and suggests that in the process of exploitation and utilization of water resources in the northwestern region it is necessary to consider issues from the fact that the region has only a small total amount of water resource but very large annual evaporation and very small annual precipitation. Efforts should be made to broaden sources of water and economize on water, prevent various kinds of waste of water resources, raise the effectiveness of water use, reduce water pollution, recover water resources and improve the environment. It is advisable to take actively the way of “storing water under the ground”，expanding groundwater and developing groundwater rationally, and meanwhile to adhere to expanding usable freshwater resources continuously.