Karez System

CCTV.COM (04.18 2003 17:20)

    The ancient Karez system is comprised of a series of wells and linked underground channels that uses gravity to bring ground water to the surface, usually far away from the source.

    In Turpan county there are more than 470 systems, totaling over 1,600 kilometers (1, 000 miles) of tunnels. It is considered as one of the three great projects in China with the other two being the Great Wall and the Grand Canal.

    Originally, ancient oasis towns depend on the streams and rivers nearby into which glaciers in far-off mountains feed. As the glaciers gradually shrank over the centuries, the streams they fed likewise diminished, resulting in lesser water flow in.

Editor:Han Ling