The Qinxu Groundwater Management System, masterminded by Professor Fan Guishang from Tanjuan University of Technology University, regulates all groundwater usage in the Qinxu, one of the counties in Shanxi Province in China.
Under the system, all 1473 wells in the county have been equipped with an automatic operating system that farmers operate with individual swipe cards. The amount of water that can be used is based on a quota that is allocated annually.
The system also comprises of 60 solar-powered groundwater observation wells, that continuously transmit groundwater-related data to a county-level information centre.
The quota are determined first for each of the 197 villages within the county, and then for each farmer within the village. The quota vary from area to area, and depend on the groundwater resources sustainably available. The quota can also also traded – between villages and between farmers.
More info: TheWaterBlog/ A Brave New Groundwater World
Produced by: Frank van Steenbergen
Year: 2012
Language: Chinese and English
