Management and sustainable development of water resources in Shiyang river basin

Water resource shortages and a fragile ecology characterize the basin of the Shiyang river, a river of the arid inlands. Traditional management consisted of a predatory approach to reclamation --> irrigation --> cultivation --> salinization --> abandonment --> desertification An ecological view was used to analyze the problems existing with respect to the effects on the environment of the management and exploitation of the water resources of the Shiyang River basin Measures have been taken to save the Minqin Oasis. The tactics used include: (1) establishing an efficient ecosystem by regulating the ratio of crops:nees:grass, (2) developing water saving agriculture including: (i) Ecological irrigation procedures (ii) High-efficiency series irrigation procedures (iii) increasing the coefficient of water resources utilization, and (iv) reducing the amount of ground water exploitation (3) Saving son water by using straw mulched storage irrigation, the net storage irrigation norm is only 900-1050 m(3) ha(-1), half of that with the conventional storage irrigation procedure. The gross water savings in the basin is 486 hm(3). (4) Enhancing public awareness of ecology, water-savings, and Minqin Oasis sustainability.