On Nov. 18, 2016, the Department of International Cooperation, Science and Technology (DICST) of MWR organized an acceptance meeting to assess the MWR public-good research project “River Function Zoning Method and Assessment Technology” in Nanjing. The expert panel consisted of experts with China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, MWR Science and Technology Committee, Yellow River Conservancy Commission, Hai River Water Resources Commission, Pearl River Water Resources Commission, Taihu Basin Authority, Hohai University, Jiangsu Province Hydrology and Water Resources Investigation Bureau, etc. Director ZENG Xianghui with MWR DICST, vice President DAI Jiqun with NHRI, and relevant team researchers attended the meeting.

Aiming at the problems of river development and harnessing in China, the project systematically analyzes the properties, functions and influencing factors of rivers, clarified the definitions and connotations of river function and river function zoning, and put forward the theoretic basis and constraints of river function zoning. The divisional system and method and controlling indices of river function zones are raised from the two aspects of river reaches and regions. The index system and method of river function assessment are established, and countermeasures of zoning management of river function zones proposed. Thus a complete river function zoning and assessment technical system is set up. The project innovates the integrated management of rivers, and its research findings have been successfully applied to the Taipu River, the main stream of the Han River, the river system of the Zhang River and Wei River, Zhuhai City, the main stream of the Yangtze River (Nanjing Reach), the Tai Lake catchment, etc. 1 monograph and 17 papers are published, and 1 national patent obtained. More than 10 young technical backbones and 10 graduates are cultivated.

The expert panel unanimously agreed that the research tasks had been comprehensively overfulfilled with abundant research findings, outstanding progress and expected goals after carefully listening to the results report made by the project leader. The project smoothly passed the acceptance check without any objection.