More than 240 scientists from 56 countries are in Beijing to
attend the 34th Congress of the International Association of
Hydrogeologists (IAH), which opens today and will focus on
groundwater management and preservation.
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Participants will discuss groundwater quality, groundwater safety
and contamination recovery, and groundwater management in the
context of rural and urban development.
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Groundwater is any water found below ground. It exists almost
everywhere underground, for example in the space between particles
of rock and soil or in crevices and cracks in rocks.
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Representatives from UN agencies that conduct groundwater programs
will make presentations at the congress.
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"The congress is an important forum for China to learn groundwater
management from other countries," Yin Yueping, an organizing
committee member, said on Sunday.
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The congress will promote the survey, assessment, utilization,
protection and management of groundwater in China and its role in
sustainable social economic development, Yin said.
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The congress, which ends on Friday, is organized by the IAH, and
the Ministry of Land and Resources.
(Xinhua News Agency October 9, 2006)