Abstract
Shenzhen is the major financial and high-tech center in southern China. The megacity has grown rapidly in the last 40 years with the population increasing from about 30,000 in 1979 to 20 million in 2016. The study area (2,015 km2) is about 42% urban and 58% undeveloped land. The rapid development of the megacity has resulted in severe degradation of the groundwater and surface-water resources and has created a nearly insatiable demand for water, with an average consumption of 2000 × 106 m3/year. Groundwater is an important component of the baseflow of the many streams in the area and is used for potable water supply and irrigation in some of the rural parts of the municipality. This study develops a conceptual model and quantitative framework for assessing the groundwater resources of Shenzhen. The groundwater system consists of shallow aquifers of alluvium and weathered bedrock overlying low permeability igneous and sedimentary rocks. The complex geologic setting was conceptualized as a block structure with blocks bounded by high-angle faults. The water budget in Shenzhen was quantified. The estimated average groundwater discharge is about 12% of annual precipitation. The study provides a starting point to investigate how a megacity such as Shenzhen should manage and protect its groundwater as a strategic resource and environmental asset. It is also a basic management tool for analyzing and contributing to urban drainage concepts such as the “sponge city”.
Highlights
Shenzhen, in Guangdong province, is an important megacity in southern China which has experienced a huge and rapid development
The water supply (2000 × 106 m3/ year) is mostly imported (~75%), as the remaining contribution comes from reservoirs and water-wells distributed inside the study area (WRBSM 2016)
The top of the first layer is the land surface, derived from a digital elevation model (DEM) (BIGEMAP database), with a 2.0 m resolution, while the bottom of the first layer is specified as 30 m below land surface in areas where Quaternary, granite, volcanic and sedimentary hydrogeological units are present (Fig. 4b)
Summary
In Guangdong province, is an important megacity in southern China which has experienced a huge and rapid development. The rapid development has caused a large reduction in agricultural lands and green areas (Li et al 2010; Hao et al 2011). Urbanization increased from 9 to 40% of the city area between 1970 and 2008 (Chen et al 2014; Hong and Guo 2017). Urban expansion continues and has reached 42% of the study area, as shown by analysis of satellite images (Fig. 1). The water supply (2000 × 106 m3/ year) is mostly imported (~75%), as the remaining contribution (only ~25%) comes from reservoirs and water-wells distributed inside the study area (WRBSM 2016). The groundwater resources of Shenzhen are underutilized and the amount of pumped water is only 5.9 × 106 m3/year (WRBSM 2016). Notwithstanding the link between economic development and the environment, the hydrogeological setting of Shenzhen has not been thoroughly investigated
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