Abstract
The Quaternary Aquifer of the North China Plain is one of the world’s largest aquifer systems and supports an enormous exploitation of groundwater, which has reaped large socio-economic benefits in terms of grain production, farming employment and rural poverty alleviation, together with urban and industrial water-supply provision. Both population and economic activity have grown markedly in the past 25 years. Much of this has been heavily dependent upon groundwater resource development, which has encountered increasing difficulties in recent years primarily as a result of aquifer depletion and related phenomena. This paper focuses upon the hydrogeologic and socio-economic diagnosis of these groundwater resource issues, and identifies strategies to improve groundwater resource sustainability.
Résumé
L’aquifère Quaternaire de la Plaine du Nord de la Chine est l’un des plus grands systèmes aquifères du monde; il permet une exploitation énorme d’eau souterraine, qui a permis des très importants bénéfices socio-économiques en terme de production de céréales, d’emplois ruraux et de réduction de la pauvreté rurale, en même temps que l’approvisionnement en eau potable et pour l’industrie. La population comme l’activité économique ont remarquablement augmenté au cours de ces 25 dernières années. Elles ont été sous la forte dépendance du développement de la ressource en eau souterraine, qui a rencontré des difficultés croissantes ces dernières années, du fait du rabattement de l’aquifère et des phénomènes associés. Cet article est consacré aux diagnostiques hydrogéologique et socio-économique des retombées de cette ressource en eau souterraine; il identifie les stratégies pour améliorer la pérennité des ressources en eau souterraine.
Resumen
El acuífero cuaternario de la Llanura Septentrional de China es uno de los mayores sistemas acuíferos del mundo y soporta una enorme explotación de su agua subterránea, las cuales han originado grandes beneficios socioeconómicos en términos de producción de grano, empleo en agricultura y mitigación de la pobreza rural, además de proveer agua para abastecimiento urbano e industria. Tanto la población como la actividad económica han crecido mucho en los últimos 25 años con una gran dependencia de las aguas subterráneas, que ha encontrado dificultades recientes por la explotación intensiva del acuífero y fenómenos relacionados. Este artículo se centra en la diagnosis hidrogeológica y socioeconómica de los problemas relacionados con las aguas subterráneas e identifica estrategias para mejorar la sustentabilidad de este recurco.
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Acknowledgements
This paper is an initiative of the World Bank–Groundwater Management Advisory Team (GW-MATE) and was produced as a ‘by-product’ of three World Bank missions to China, associated with the major MWR China Water Conservation Project. The authors are most grateful to Mr Liping Jiang (World Bank-China Resident Mission), the World Bank Project Task Manager, for his encouragement of the work in general and for his permission to publish this paper. Such permission does not necessarily imply that the World Bank or its associate organisations endorse the observations and conclusions. The authors are also indebted to numerous staff of certain provincial/municipal WRBs and various county/district WRMBs across the North China Plain, and of the MWR headquarters—especially to Ms Lin Wang and Mr Yuquan Xiao (China Institute of Water Resources & Hydropower), and to Mr Houbin Liu and Ms Qinfang Sun of the MWR Project Office for open and constructive exchange of experiences on putting groundwater management into practice.
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Foster, S., Garduno, H., Evans, R. et al. Quaternary Aquifer of the North China Plain—assessing and achieving groundwater resource sustainability. Hydrogeology Journal 12, 81–93 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10040-003-0300-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10040-003-0300-6