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INVITATION FROM THE CHAIR OF THE CHAIRMAN OF THE ORGANIZING COMMITTEE  In
2000, the Chinese National Committee on Irrigation and Drainage (CNCID)
made a proposal to the ICID International Executive Council (IEC) to host
the 19th Congress and 56th International Executive Council meeting at
the 51st IEC meeting in Cape Town, South Africa. At that IEC meeting the
proposal was accepted and China was invited to host the 19th Congress
and 56th International Executive Council meeting in Beijing, China from
September 10-18, 2005.
China is a vast country rich in natural resources and historical sites. The Chinese civilization is one of the earliest in the world with recorded history of more than 5000 years. China also has a long history in irrigation, drainage and flood control since the water control by Yu, the reputed founder of the Xia Dynasty in 21st-16th century B.C.. The Zhengguo Canal, the Dujiangyan Project, the Lingqu Canal, the Grand Canal, and many other hydroprojects built by ancient Chinese people performed important functions in history with respect to social and economic development. Some of these age-old facilities are still generating benefits to the people nowadays. Many ancient irrigation projects have become part of the cultural heritage of the nation.Since 1949, over 270,000 kilometers dykes have been built or reinforced and more than 85,000 reservoirs of various sizes have been constructed, bringing normal floods of large rivers under preliminary control. The annual water supply capacity has reached 580 billion cubic meters; the total irrigated area has been increased from 16 million hectares to more than 55.3 million hectares; and 86 million hectares of land exposed to water and soil erosion has been brought under control. Although enormous achievements have been obtained in the water sector in China, it must be noted that water, food security and environment are still the serious challenges confronted by China and the whole world in the 21st century. Therefore, the theme of ICID 19th congress “Water and Land Use for Food and Environmental Sustainability” provides us an opportunity to discuss these issues and share the experiences among scientists, engineers and environmental workers in Beijing, 2005. I take pride to invite all members of the ICID family to participate in ICID 19th Congress and 56th IEC meeting in September 2005. Beijing, the capital of China, also has a long history and many tourist sites, such as the Forbidden City, the Great Wall, the Summer Palace and the Temple of Heaven etc. China welcomes all of you with its beautiful tourist sites, rich experiences in irrigation and drainage, and warm and satisfactory services. We will make every effort to assure all participants of a successful congress and a pleasant stay in China. I look forward to seeing all of you in Beijing.
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| Chinese National Committee
on Irrigation & Drainage 20 West Chegongzhuang St., Beijing 100044 Tel: 86-10-68415522 ext 6506 Fax: 86-10-68457179 Beijing2005@cncid.org |