China will continue to carry out strict management measures to cope with water shortages, said Chen Lei, Minister of Water Resources, on May 8.

He said that the measures include strengthening water resources protection and promoting the restoration of aquatic ecosystems.

China sees a 50-billion-cubic meter water shortage annually, with two thirds of its cities having trouble accessing water. The country's annual water consumption now exceeds 600 billion cubic meters, accounting for 74 percent of the country's exploitable water resources.

China's water consumption should be controlled below 700 billion cubic meters by 2030, and its efficiency of water usage will reach advanced levels, the Chinese Government said in a document issued in January.

The country aims to reduce water consumption per 10,000 yuan ($1,597) of industrial value-added output to less than 40 cubic meters by 2030, raise the effective water use coefficient of farmland irrigation water to above 0.6 and improve water quality, according to the document.