Hunan Provincial Water Resources Bureau and Changsha government jointly launched a water conservation campaign in Orange Island, Changsha, on March 22, the World Water Day.

More than 200 volunteers called on local residents to consume water economically and promoted water saving measures by cycling around the city.

"Changsha is a water-scarce city featuring both seasonal water shortage and quality-induced water shortage, although it sits on the Xiangjiang River," said a principal of Changsha water department. The city suffered from severe droughts in 2007 and 2008, and had to resort to precipitation enhancement and water diversion from other areas to alleviate the crisis.

Over recent years, Changsha has fully implemented a progressive water pricing system and established water consumption quota for different sectors in the city. It has also launched a stricter water resource management system, specifying targets for water resources development and utilization, and ceilings for both water consumption per unit and discharge capacity in a given water divisional area.