Achievements

THE OPTIMUM ALLOCATION OF WATER RESOURCES IN THE KARST ROCK AREAS OF SOUTHWEST CHINA

Updated :11,15,2012

Guo Chunqing, Ma Ting

Guilin University of Technology, Resource environment department, Guilin, 514004

Abstract: This article analyzes the problems existing in the agriculture development of Southwest China rock areas, and reveals the importance of water resources optimum allocation in the agriculture development. It explicates the theory and the approach to water resource optimum allocation in Karst rock areas. It also quotes Guang Xi Karst rock area to classify agricultural resources into different using kinds of agricultural resources.

Key words: Agriculture development in the Karst rock area , the optimum allocation of water resources

 


1 Introduction

The agriculture in Southwest China rock area has developed for several thousands years. On the one hand it brought up the local residents for generations, but on the other hand it was at considerable cost to the resources and the environment. The main reason is the mankind's inappropriate agricultural measures . Farmer in the Southwest China Karst rock area utilized the agricultural resources and chose using way originally mostly according to the traditional techniques for long time, and the productivity was lower. It didn’t make full use of the advantages and potential of agricultural resources , and it also resulted in the waste in great quantities of agricultural resources and the serious unbalance of ecosystem in the Karst rock area.

The actuality of agriculture in Southwest China Karst rock area is the shortage of total amount in natural resources, a small quantity of farmland which are scattered ,the shortage of water resources ,the flimsy groundwater environment, the rockplant , the shortage of diversification etc..The physical geography of”Islands and Islets” which conbine high and low rock peaks and depressions together forms “islands and islets dispersed ” agricultural resources utilization modes. It pursued food self-sufficient by only depending on the increment of farmland .Not only it couldn’t make full use of agricultural resources ,but also couldn’t guarantee the sustainable using of natural resource in Karst rock area.

The land as well as the population of the Southwest China rock area disperses in high degree,and the main way of farming is the family unit . The characteristics of farming of family unit are: the scale of farming is small, traditionaly and blindly manage production, the whole agricultural industry is low, the agricultural utilizations of resources method are various , the agriculture income is instable and the growth speed is slow.

2 The Characteristics of Agriculture Resources in Southwest China Karst Rock Area

Multiple media environment is the basic characteristic and also is the environmental foundation of agricultural resources sustainable utilization in Karst areas.

The total amount of agricultural resources in the rock area is the physical foundation of resource utilization and determine that agricultural structure, planting system,the distribution of agricultural devotion and the output produce ,the difference of qualities in agricultural product categories etc..

The relations among agriculture, country and peasants are the social foundation of agricultural resources utilization. The stable relations influence  the exploitation and utilization of agricultural resources in rock areas.

3 The Theory Foundation and the Basic Approaches to Allocate Optimum the Water resources of the Southwest China Karst Rock Area

The water resources system optimum allocation in the Southwest China karst rock area is influenced by regional and multiple media environmental characteristics . To resolve agricultural resources system optimum allocation is centered around “saving water and keeping soil”.The water resources optimum allocation is the key tache and is the basic guarantee of whole agricultural resources optimum allocation in rock area. At the high part of Karst rock area, we should save the quantity of rain water resources to the utmost and weaken the energy of rain water transportation , thus impede the soil in high part of rock from the soil "erosion-transfer" process to protect the agricultural resources;At the mid part of rock we should heighten the ability to head off surface water and amass water ,thus block the soil “transfer-deposit” process in the mid part of rock. We can improve the environment of Karst rock area by the water optimum allocation,so that we can build a water system of dynamic banlance and the sustainable development agriculture. In a word, “saving water and keeping soil “is the keystone of agricultural resources optimum allocation, and “adjusting the energy and the quantity of water”is the keystone of water optimum allocation.

3.1 The approaches to water resourceses optimum allocation

The first step of water optimum allocation in Southwest China karst rock area is to amass the rain water according to conter line in high part of rock------that’s amassment by the altitude. Minish the runoff and decrease the velocity of rain flow,then can reduce the ability of soil transit and cut off the channels of flow,so that achieve the aim of saving water and keeping soil in the mid part of rock. At the same time ,we should amass the surface water and exploit the subsurface water in the low part of rock. Only so that we can insure the whole safety of the water and soil resources in Karst area.

The high part of rock .Amass the rain water layered and build flood discharge channels.Combine biology, engineering with technological measures by forestation, water amassment etc.. In the high part of rock foresation helps to save water and keep soil;In the mid part of rock , combine stone bank and biologic bank together to keep soil synthetically, and make full use of rain water slope flow and surface layer of Karst ,while collocate engineering measures along contour line such as cistern ,pond ,water cellar etc.. ,and link them by the pipe line, thus form a unitive subminiature water system of the pond,the water cellar string connection;Build water facilities in the low part of rock to control flood and fight a drought, thus promise the optimum allocation of water resources in the Karst rock area.

The mid part of rock. Mainly by blocking the leak flow of high part of rock effectively divide a segment to build a dam to block the flood and soil which the flood carries.

The low part of rock. Amass the surface water and exploit the subsurface water, mainly by the engineering measure such as building the small reservoir and artificially mining groundwater etc. to carry out.

The reason why traditional methods to save water and keep soil don’t take distinct effect is essentially the shortage of systematic engineering measures which combine saving water and weakening the energy of water flow in high part of rock with cutting off the water channels between high part and low part of rock, besides being effected by these natural factors such as lithology, climate, plants, terrain etc.. which are peculiar characteristic.

3.2 The adjustment of agricultural structure following water resources optimum allocation

The actulity is asymmetric in the Southwest China Karst rock area , which is the shortage of water, soil , wood, and too much disasters, fragile environment, that is the bottleneck of agricultural development. To realize the agricultural sustainable development, we should optimize the agricultural structure in Karst rock area , and establish benign cycle ecological agriculture system.

Exploit the potential of agricultural water utilization, and improve the efficiency of water utilization from following four aspects: headwaters of agricultural water, water transportation process ,the transpiration and evaporation of the soil water, and the effective transpiration.

Make systematic analysis about the amount of water consumption and its supply and demand, strengthening agriculture water demanding management, and making the agricultural structure in accord with water resources.

According to natural resources condition in the Karst rock area, especially the water resources condition, adjust microscopically agriculture layout, and build up reasonable agricultural ecosystem system. At the same time, gradually change plant structure from the simple food supplies ----economic crop 2 dimensions structure to food supplies ---economic crop----- feedstuff, economic crop---- feedstuff ------food supplies or economic crop----food supplies------feedstuff 3 dimensions structure, and reasonably increase planting the saving water, suitable water condition and bearing the dry condition crop and high protein, high nourishment, high energy crop.

3.3 The advantages of water optimum allocation

The reasonable optimum allocation of water resources, ultimately cure for water, soil, wood shortage problems to establish ecosystem environment to provide the foundational condition. Get hold of the keystone of water resources optimum allocation, through retaining energy and water in the high, mid and low part of rock integrative, and optimize the allocation of water resource and save water and soil in the transportation of water flow tache.

It can raise the abilities of whole disaster prevention in the Karst rock area .Through high, mid and low part of rock to retain water, energy layered, adjust reasonably agricultural structures and build up the right ecosystem agricultural system. It can optimize control and allocation of the rain, storm, flood and drought of the Karst rock areas.

Primary feasibility analysis of natural environment and social economy technology in Karst rock areas showed that optimum allocation is reasonable in economy, and also is feasible in technology, while it is supported by natural, social and environmental conditions.

4 Applications

Karst rock area in Guang Xi is first class unit of Southwest China Karst rock areas, while it can be divided into 6 second class units, 30 third units (based on Wu Yingke, 1990)(table 1)[1].Karst rock area in Guang Xi distribute widely and there are almost 30 Karst rock City or County totally, having already influence  the region economy development greatly. Synthesize the agricultural utilization actuality in Guang Xi Karst area and put forward the optimum allocation of water resources system and the reasonable utilization method of agricultural resources in the Karst rock area which is divided into these types(table 2) and the type classification.(table 3)as follows:


Table 1  The Classification of Resources cells of Karst rock zone in Guang Xi

First Class

Second Class

Third Class

 

 

 

 

Karst rock area of

Guang Xi

Rock peaks and depressions zone in the west of Guang Xi

Dong Lan, Du An, NanDan, BaMa……

Rock peaks and rock forest zone in the middle of Guang Xi

XiCheng,LuoCheng,HeChi……

Plain zone in the middle of Guang Xi

Liu Jiang, Xiang Zhou, Liu Cheng, Lai Bing, He Shan……

Rock peaks and rock forest zone in the west of Guang Xi

De Bao, Da Xin, Long Zhou, Rong An, Jing Xi……

Table 2 The Classification of Agricultural Resources Utilization in Guang Xi Karst Rock Area

First class utilization modemicroscopically rock area

plantingmicroscopically

Second class utilization mode (rock

woods, farming, herdmedium scope

Third class utilization moderock countyrock townfarmer

vegetablefood suppliesherdmicrocosmic

fruitvegetablefood supplies

melonvegetablefruit melonvegetablefood suppliesherd

woodsfruitvegetablefood supplies food supplies herdfood suppliesvegetable

fisheryherdvegetable

Table 3  The Kinds of Agricultural Resources Utilization Mode in Karst Rock Area Following Water

Optimum Allocation

Mode

 

Kind

Utilization kinds of water resource

Utilization modes of saving water and keeping soil

Utilization modes in woods and meadow

Compound utilization modes in woods, farming, herd, fishery

The kind of abundant resource

 

Utilization of groundwater

(1)Plantingfisheryducker

(2)Food suppliesvegetablesfiredampwater cellars

Economic forest

Compound agriculture-forest

,forest-economy,

Fruit-forest

The kind of ecology being short of water

Utilization of groundwater and rainwater

Forestvegetablegrassfood suppliesherd

Forest

Compound agriculture-forest

,forest-economy,

Fruit-forest

The solid kind being poor in water

Utilization of groundwater and sub groundwater

Forestvegetablegrassfood suppliesherd

Forestand grass

Compound agriculture-forest

,forest-economy,

Fruit-forest

The kind of recycled

Utilization of groundwater and sub groundwater

(1)Planting mulberry

(2)Plantingfiredamp

(3)Plantingfiredamp

Planting grass and saving water

 


5 Conclusions

Because of the complicacy and the diversity of agricultural resource system in the Karst rock area, aimed at the problem existing in the utilization of agricultural resource in Southwest China Karst rock area, put forward these suggestions on sustainable utilizations of agricultural resources as follows:

5.1  Adjust orderly the allocation of agricultural resources, especially the water resources, and make the allocation in accord with the utilization of agricultural resources .The sustainable utilization of agricultural resources in Karst rock areas is determined by the allocation structure of natural resources gross and the degree of exploitation, utilization, protection of agricultural resources.

5.2 Recognize the frangibility and the damageable of Karst multiple media, specially the formation’s evolvement law of "water, soil, rock" three kinds of resources. According to the demand of agricultural resources sustainable utilization, amend continuously ecological object, thus it can exert the whole function of agricultural ecosystem and realize the agricultural sustainable development.

5.3 The adjustment of agricultural structure should be carried out to realize the ecology safety, food supplies safety, water and soil resources safety etc. Make sure that the harmonious relations between farmland, plant, water resources, population and the ecosystem environment, raising the synthesis utilization ability of natural resources and the ability of agricultural production.

5.4 Draw up a sustainable development strategy programming of Southwest China Karst rock area and strengthen the protection of natural wood and wild propagation. With reasonable utilities of the water resources and the land for foundation, with the Karst rock valley for unit, with saving water and keeping soil as center, with forest, agriculture, grass, avocation, fishery as the dominating direction of the “ Agriculture, Peasant, Country” economy development, arrange foundation construction such as the ecosystem water conservancy , the country highway construction etc.,  draw up a passel engineering which have strong influence on ecosystem environment to carry out ,insure the society and economy harmonious, sustainable development in Karst rock area.

5.5 With the establishment of “Agriculture----Water resource----ecology environment system” optimized for core, make sure compound agricultural development mode in Karst rock area, and emphasize the research about the mutual translation, key process, adjustment mechanism of “water— soil— rock— crop— critter” in Karst rock area. It also reveals the characteristics of soil organic matter and nutrients circulation in Karst rock and we should develop seed selection suitable for special ecosystem environment in the Karst rock area.

5.6 Set up “saving water” society in Southwest China Karst rock area and save water resources by fixing a price about agricultural water utilization quantity, water resource commercializing, water rights transfer; Form new type of agricultural economics by supporting the water-saving agriculture; Synthesis raise the utilization rate by utilizing the key water-saving technology such as engineering measures, gardening measures, ecology measures etc. Through the requirement of the villages and towns industry using the cycled water, set up the uniform management system of peasant’ common water utilization and accelerate the Karst rock area becoming saving water.


 

References

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