The National Water Conservancy Work Conference was held in Beijing

E Jingping pointed out that in 2019, water conservancy departments at all levels earnestly implemented the Party's decision - making and deployment, worked solidly, overcame difficulties, and achieved remarkable results in various water conservancy tasks.

On the one hand, water conservancy projects were strengthened in a faster and better - quality manner, giving full play to the role of effective investment in water conservancy construction to drive development. Throughout the year, 726 billion yuan of funds for water conservancy construction were allocated, reaching a historical high. 23 major water conservancy projects started construction, with progress exceeding expectations. The projects for enhancing flood control, drought relief, and water conservancy were accelerated. Water conservancy poverty alleviation was advanced steadily, and rural water conservancy construction was sped up. The drinking water safety problem of 1.016 million registered poor people was solved, and the water supply guarantee level of 54.8 million rural people was consolidated and improved, exceeding the annual target tasks. The comprehensive treatment of groundwater over - exploitation in North China achieved initial results. In some areas, the groundwater level stopped dropping and began to rise. The annual task of soil and water loss control was successfully completed. The informatization level of water conservancy was gradually improved, and the national water security guarantee capacity was further enhanced.

On the other hand, the water conservancy industry's strong supervision was effective, and a practical and useful water conservancy supervision system was basically established. The legal system, institutional mechanisms for supervision were improved at a faster pace, and special water conservancy supervision and inspections were carried out. Victory was achieved in preventing and responding to floods and droughts, reducing the losses caused by flood and drought disasters. The management, conservation, and protection of water resources were strengthened. The supervision of rivers and lakes continued to be intensified. A total of 134,000 problems of "four disorders" in rivers and lakes across the country were cleaned up and rectified. Remote - sensing supervision of soil and water conservation was vigorously promoted, and 52,000 projects that started construction or disposal without approval were investigated and dealt with. The situation of "emphasizing construction over management" in water conservancy projects was gradually reversed. The comprehensive benefits of major national water conservancy facilities such as the Three Gorges Project and the South - to - North Water Diversion Project were further exerted, and the development capacity of the water conservancy industry was continuously enhanced. Through large - scale special unannounced inspections, a large number of problems were discovered and promoted to be solved, achieving a smooth start and breakthrough in the strong supervision of the water conservancy industry.

First, from the perspective of implementing the spirit of the important speech on March 14, the general keynote of water conservancy reform and development has grasped the main line of adjusting people's behavior and correcting their wrong behavior, which is an inevitable requirement for implementing the "sixteen - character" water - control concept. We must understand and grasp the general keynote of water conservancy reform and development from the aspects of revolutionariness, systematicness, and long - term nature. A revolutionary transformation should be carried out in thinking, actions, methods, and work styles. We need to update concepts, reshape business, and reconstruct processes for water conservancy work, and persevere in our efforts.

Second, from the perspective of building a "happy river" that benefits the people, the general keynote of water conservancy reform and development reflects the change in the main contradiction of China's water - control work, which is an inevitable requirement for implementing the spirit of the symposium on ecological protection and high - quality development in the Yellow River Basin. By practicing the general keynote of water conservancy reform and development, we must implement the overall goal of building a "happy river", the strategic requirement of "emphasis on protection and focus on governance", and the important principle of "taking water resources as a rigid constraint", promote the high - quality development of water conservancy undertakings, and better meet the people's aspiration for a better life.

Third, from the perspective of implementing the spirit of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 19th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, the general keynote of water conservancy reform and development highlights the governance of water with systems and the management of water with systems, which is an inevitable requirement for fundamentally reversing the problems in the water conservancy industry of emphasizing engineering projects over laws and regulations, and emphasizing construction over management. We must give a more prominent position to system construction, promptly fill the institutional gaps in relevant fields, give play to the important role of strong supervision in promoting reform, and promote the transformation from special supervision to normal supervision.

Fourth, from the perspective of promoting high - quality economic development, the general keynote of water conservancy reform and development is in line with the strategic deployments of the Party and the country, which is an inevitable requirement for implementing the spirit of the economic work conference, the rural work conference, and the work conference on the follow - up projects of the South - to - North Water Diversion Project. We must not only focus on the present and start more water conservancy projects as soon as possible, but also look to the long - term and plan the overall strategic layout of water conservancy construction.