[1]ZHENG Yanqiong,ZHANG Aijun,HAN Shuai.Research on Water Source Protection of Karez Wells Using Flood Irrigation From Piedmont Alluvial Fan[J].Research of Soil and Water Conservation,2018,25(03):366-372.
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Research of Soil and Water Conservation[ISSN 1005-3409/CN 61-1272/P] Volume:
25
Number of periods:
2018 03
Page number:
366-372
Column:
Public date:
2018-04-10
- Title:
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Research on Water Source Protection of Karez Wells Using Flood Irrigation From Piedmont Alluvial Fan
- Author(s):
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ZHENG Yanqiong, ZHANG Aijun, HAN Shuai
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College of Water Resources and Architectural Engineering, Northwest A & F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China
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- Keywords:
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oasis ecosystem; Karez well; flood irrigation; unsaturated soil seepage
- CLC:
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S237.4
- DOI:
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- Abstract:
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Karez well system in Turfan Basin of Xinjiang is a precious intangible cultural heritage of China. It also plays an irreplaceable role in the conservation and development of oasis ecosystem in Turfan Basin. Recently, the continuous declination of regional groundwater level results in the decrease of water flow or even dry-up of Karez wells due to the extensive use of electro-mechanical wells. Meanwhile, the annual precipitation of north Turfan Basin near Tianshan Mountains is 400~600 mm. Except for a small proportion streams out through rivers, the flood forming in the piedmont alluvial fan often creates threats to nearby edge areas of Turfan Basin. Thus, we present new method to protect the water source of Karez well system by analyzing the basic conditions of Turfan Basin and Karez wells, as well as the natural irrigation condition of piedmont alluvial fan. The main idea is to build retaining dams in piedmont alluvial fan to preserve the flood. The dams will control the flood and improve groundwater level. In the meantime, the water flow in Karez well system will also increase. Numerical simulations are used to investigate the potential benefits. The simulation results show that the proposed method could significantly elevate the groundwater level and increase the total amount of water flow in Karez well system. The dried-up wells can even be restored. It is proved that the proposed method is an economically feasible and applicable method to protect water source of Karez wells.