Aqueous solution

A Swiss water expert's long collaboration with his Chinese counterparts yields results

Andreas Goetz, a Swiss expert on water management, considers the work he has done in China over the past decade a great success.

"We first made a rope of cooperation. Now, it has developed into a net," the 68-year-old says of the roles he and Chen Lei, China's water resources minister, have played in various projects.

The two men first met in 2001, when Goetz was deputy director of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation.

Over the years, Switzerland has accumulated lots of experience in water management and a great deal of data.

During their interactions, the two experts found that both countries were pursuing similar goals in water management, and the first joint project began in 2002 after news of a Yangtze River flood drew Goetz's attention.

He wrote an e-mail to Chen, asking if Swiss experts could do anything to help. When Chen replied positively, Goetz's organization sent a team to assist China in building a hydrological forecast and warning system in the Yangtze basin.

The project, which used technologies developed in Switzerland, proved worthwhile. The next year, when Chen invited Goetz to inspect the project, they decided to collaborate long term.

Since then, workshops on technical issues related to water for Chinese and Swiss officials and experts have been held every two years, alternating between the countries.

After a successful workshop in 2008, the two sides signed a Sino-Swiss cooperation agreement that enables not only high-level exchanges, but also the joint undertaking of projects.

"The development of the water sector cannot be realized in a sustainable way without the support and cooperation of the international community," Goetz says. "Sino-Swiss cooperation (in this field) is an excellent example of extremely successful collaboration between two countries."

After the agreement, joint projects that cover key areas - integrated water management, and a warning system for glacier lake outburst floods, glacier melting and dam safety - were established.

More recently, the two sides have initiated another joint project in the Jinsha River Basin in Southwest China's Yunnan province, a mountainous region with great potential for economic development, but one that faces the challenges of both spatial development and climate change.

In that way, Jinsha has a lot in common with Switzerland, Goetz says.

The project's long-term goals include developing an integrated water management system that is effective in protecting life and the environment, contributing to the continued development of the local economy and taking into account the effects of climate change.

Goetz says climate change is melting glaciers, which has become a significant challenge the world over, and advanced technologies are needed to deal with the problem.

"Working together makes things much easier. Our scientists can learn new things in this project. What we'd like to do is to make it a common platform and benefit all regions with the knowledge we learn here," he says of the Jinsha project.

After working with Chinese officials and experts for years, Goetz has gained some insights into the country's water sector, both in terms of achievements and challenges. He says forming an integrated water management system, especially in a large country like China where different sectors are involved, isn't easy.

"Everyone thinks he is at the center of the field. That's not true. If you have enough water for agriculture, maybe you won't have enough for the population or for industry. You have to work together. And that is the most difficult part."

Switzerland took decades to build an integrated water management system, he says. "It will also take China a long time to do so, but the pressure is much higher now because of the fast development."

Goetz and Chen have developed a close friendship in addition to maintaining professional exchanges over the years.

He says the minister has become acquainted with all of Goetz's family members and even remembered to send flowers when he and his wife celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary a few years ago.

"We think in similar ways. It takes you some time to understand each other and speak the same language," says Goetz, who believes that their friendship has facilitated the cooperation. "Friendship ... fosters mutual trust and was one of the most important elements for our successful cooperation."

Goetz received the Friendship Award in 2012 from the Chinese government. The annual award is the highest honor for foreigners who have made significant contributions to China's social and economic development.

Now, as a senior consultant for the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, Goetz continues to support Sino-Swiss projects in water management and climate change.

He has visited China more than any other foreign country, while his work has taken him to remote places in Yunnan and the northwestern Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. Many officials with the Ministry of Water Resources recognize his name.

Goetz is glad his family is connected to China, too. His daughter has been working in Shanghai for more than five years.

liuxiangrui@chinadaily.com.cn