Practices and Reflections on the Sustainable Development of Karez Systems in Turpan City
XU Weiwei
Abstract：As an ancient,unique,and still functional water conservancy project,the Karez system is a nationally protected cultural heritage site in China and holds significant historical and practical value.It has been successfully included in the World Heritage List of Irrigation Structures.However,the sustainable development of the Karez system faces numerous challenges.This paper summarizes the practical achievements in the protection and utilization of Karez systems and systematically analyzes the key factors constraining their sustainable development.These factors include severe water shortages,deficiencies in management mechanisms,high conservation costs,and insufficient expansion of functional value.To address these issues,recommendations are proposed,such as strengthening water source protection,optimizing management mechanisms,conducting research to reduce conservation costs,and innovatively expanding the system's value.These insights and suggestions provide robust support for the sustainable development of the Karez system.
Keywords：TurpanKarezsustainable developmentwater conservancy projectkey cultural heritage
Publication Date：2025-04-20
Online Publishing Date：2025-08-15(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：5( 124-128 )