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Good practice Imported

Beijing's Reclaimed Water Programme — the City's 'Second Water Source'

China · Beijing · See the China profile · See the Beijing profile

Evidence: Descriptive / self-reported Top 76% 33/100 · Ask Evidence Copilot about this practice

In 2023 Beijing recycled 1.28 billion m³ of wastewater — nearly 30% of total water consumption — with 1.18 billion m³ returned to rivers, lakes and wetlands, per Beijing Water Authority figures reported by state media.

1.28 billion m3
Water recycled (2023)
1.18 billion m3
Recycled water returned to rivers/lakes/wetlands (2023)
~30 %
Share of total water consumption met by reclaimed water (2023)
Beijing's Reclaimed Water Programme — the City's 'Second Water Source'

Details

Maturity
Established
Promoter
Beijing Water Authority
Period
2023 (established, ongoing programme)
Keywords
water reclamation, urban water supply, ecological replenishment, wastewater treatment

Context

Beijing, a historically water-stressed capital, has built large-scale wastewater reclamation infrastructure as part of its water-supply strategy alongside the South-to-North Water Diversion project.

Activities

The Beijing Water Authority recycled water for both ecological replenishment (rivers, lakes, wetlands) and industrial/sanitation use.

Results

In 2023, Beijing recycled 1.28 billion m3 of wastewater — nearly 30% of total water consumption — with 1.18 billion m3 returned to rivers, lakes and wetlands, and recycled water accounting for over 30% of industrial and sanitation consumption.

Conclusions

These figures come from the municipal water authority via state media and were not independently audited; no ecological-outcome monitoring data (e.g. measured wetland-health change) accompanies the ecological-replenishment claim.

Implementation
Indicative cost
Very high (> €5M) — Not disclosed; large municipal infrastructure investment.
Time to results
Long (> 3 years) — Ongoing municipal programme; 2023 is the latest reported year.
Staffing & skills
Beijing Water Authority

Conditions for success

  • Large-scale wastewater reclamation infrastructure built alongside the South-to-North Water Diversion project

Common failure modes

  • No independent audit of figures; no ecological-outcome monitoring accompanies the replenishment claim

Commonly funded by

National / regional programmes

Indicative funding routes for practices of this type — always check each programme's current calls and eligibility rules.

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Data sources

Where this practice's information was retrieved from, and when.

Attachments

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