Shenzhen offices and factories consuming more water than the quota set by the municipal government will have to pay higher fees starting March, following a provincial act to limit household and industrial water consumption.

It's the first time that the Shenzhen Municipal Government has put a ceiling on industrial water consumption.

Starting Thursday, Guangdong Province will begin a two-year trial aiming to limit water consumption by households, factories, farmers and public-sector units, the provincial water resource authority announced yesterday.

The provincial watchdog published detailed water consumption guidelines for 336 products from 133 industries, aiming to encourage water saving across the province.

A spokesman for the city's water conservation office told the Shenzhen Daily yesterday that industrial consumers were likely to be affected by the new guideline, while the water rates for household users were "unchanged."

He said the municipal water resource bureau will introduce a new water-saving regulation for commercial users next month. The regulation will include new tariff for water consumption.

Zhuang Chengxin, a Hong Kong investor running a factory in Shenzhen, said he was worried the new regulation would cost him extra money. His dyeing factory consumes 250 tons of water for each one-ton product.

Seasonal water shortages have been affecting Guangdong for years and the problem seems to be worsening recently. Seventy percent of water consumed in Shenzhen comes from reservoirs outside the city.

Editor: Donald