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INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF HYDRAULIC ENGINEERING AND RESEARCH

(HONG KONG CHAPTER)

 

國際水力學會香港分會

http://web.hku.hk/~iahrhk

 

March 2008

IAHR-HK COMMITTEE (2007-2008)

Visit to the Xingjiang AgricultureUniversity and the Karez Sytem

A group of 12 members and friends, led by Prof. Joseph Lee, together with 4 staffs of the China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, led by Prof. Li Guifen, paid a visit to the Xingiang Agriculture University and the irrigation and groundwater extraction works in Xingiang from Sept 25-30, 2007. Prof. Joseph Lee has made a presentation at the Xingiang Agriculture University to several hundred students and staffs of the University.

The Karez system is the most interesting place visited in this trip. It is a crystallization of ancient people's diligence and intelligence. This delicate irrigation system was very important for Turpan in the ancient due to its arid climate of high temperature low rainfall (Photo 1). The system generally consisted of a number of vertical wells, a long underground canal of several km or above, an open channel and a small reservoir (Figure 1).

Photo 1 Introduction of Karez System

 

Figure 1 Schematic Layout of Karez System

The vertical wells were mainly used for ventilation, digging and maintenance of the karez system. The bottoms of all the vertical wells were connected so that water could pass through from water source at high ground to the reservoir at low ground by gravity. In Turpan, the water source primarily comes from melting snow in the Tianshan Mountain. For the underground canal section, the evaporation rate was low as the canal was covered with earth. For the open channel section, trees would be planted on both sides of the channel to lower the evaporation rate. Thus, karez system could effectively reduce evaporation, avoid getting polluted and need no electrical power.

Visit to the Hong Kong Road Research Laboratory and the RED Wind Tunnel Laboratory

A technical visit to the Hong Kong Road Research Laboratory of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University and the Wind Tunnel Laboratory of RED Consultants Limited was organized on 23 June 2007. Around 30 local engineers and professors joined the visit. The hydraulic modelling projects carried out in the laboratories included hydraulic testing of DSD’s gully inlet traps (Photo 2) and the wind tunnel testing of a large scale private hotel development in Macau (Photos 3 & 4).

 

 

 

 

 

 

Summary of Recent Activities

Visit to the Hong Kong Road Research Laboratory and the Wind Tunnel Laboratory of RED Limited – June 27, 2007

Visit to the Xingjiang AgricultureUniversity and the Karez Sytem Sept 25-30, 2007

Training Programme on Coastal Engineering for Civil Engineering and Development

Department (CEDD) – May- August, 2007. The key members of IAHR-HK, including Prof. Joseph Lee, Prof. M.S. Ghidaoui, Prof. C.W. Li, Dr. Onxy Wai, Dr. J.P. Gan and Dr. K.L. Pun, have provided a training programme on coastal engineering for the CEDD. The course covers topics on basic Laws, tides, waves, water quality and sediment transport.

Visit to Shenzhen Water and Wastewater Treatment Works – 17 Nov. 2007. This visit was jointly organized by IAHR-HK and CIWEM-HK and was counted for 1 CPD day. A total of 29 participants jointed the visit. This is the first event jointly organized by IAHR-HK and the other professional institution.

Upcoming Events

Symposium on "Advances in Water Resources Management" cum 10th Anniversary of IAHR-HK Chapter: Mar 25-26, 2008. This year marks the tenth anniversary of IAHR-HK. To celebrate this, IAHR-HK, together with the University of Hong Kong, will hold a special Symposium with the theme “Advances in Water Resources Management”. We are very pleased to have the Bureau of Hydrology, Changjiang Water Resources Commission (CWRC-BOH) being the key sponsor of the Symposium. In this connection, “Hydrology and Water Resources of Yangtze River” is the focus of the Symposium. Many government officials, academics, engineers and scientists will participate in and deliver lectures at the Symposium. It will surely provide a platform for hydraulic researchers in Hong Kong and the region to exchange ideas and share experience on water resources management. For further details, please visit the following website: http://www.hku.hk/civil/water symposium/index.html

Tenth Annual General Meeting: The 10th AGM will be held on Mar. 26, 2008, Wednesday, together with the above Symposium. Details are attached.