CAPACITY BUILDING FOR KARST WATER RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT IN SOUTHWEST CHINA'S KARST REGION THROUGH TRAINING AND EDUCATION

Southwest China’s limestone karst region covers some 500,000 km² over six provinces and is home to 80-100 million people. Water resource problems in the region are to some degree underappreciated, as this region of China has an annual rainfall of 800-1,600 mm. However, highly developed karst geology with water tables in places more than 1000 m below ground, a distinct monsoon climate winter dry season in which six months can bring only 15% of the year’s rainfall, and major deforestation that effectively destroyed the shallow epikarst storage has resulted in major water supply problems for millions of mostly rural residents. These environmental problems are closely tied to poverty in marginal landscapes where many rural residents, in many cases ethnic minorities, are walking to get water during the dry season.

After a decade of collaboration in both basic and applied karst hydrogeology research, the China Environmental Health Project was established in 2006, with a focus on capacity building by developing US/Chinese partnerships to raise the academic infrastructure with regard to karst water resources development in southwest China. This work from the beginning has been achieved under the auspices of karst related projects of the UNESCO/IUGS International Geoscience Program, including Projects IGCP 379, IGCP 448, IGCP 513, and currently IGCP 598. In 2008 a major new initiative began with the establishment of the International Research Center on Karst (IRCK) under the auspices of UNESCO in Guilin China.

This poster describes highlights of the efforts from 2006-2012, including establishment of laboratories, training workshops for students, scientists, government officials and the public in karst hydrogeology, groundwater flow tracing with fluorescent dyes, GIS, and recharge area delineation, as well as cave exploration and survey for mapping of underground rivers. Case studies from projects and training activities at the IRCK and in Wuming County in Guangxi Province, at Southwest University in Chongqing, and in Mengzi Yunnan illustrate the progress and milestones of the work.