Earlier this week, the 6^th International Symposium on Soil and Groundwater (SG2019) took place in Shenzhen. Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech) worked with the Chinese Society of Environmental Sciences (CSES) to co-sponsor SG2019. Ministry of Ecology and Environment Vice Minister and CSES Chairman Huang Runqiu, Shenzhen Deputy Mayor Huang Min and SUSTech President Chen Shiyi all delivered speeches at SG2019. Vice Provost (Global Strategies) and founding Dean of the SUSTech School of Environmental Science and Engineering Zheng Chunmiao chaired SG2019.

Many environmentally-inclined bodies from across the world descended upon Shenzhen, with experts and scholars from the United States, Britain, Canada, India and China represented national soil & groundwater, environmental protection, geological and agricultural fields. There were also delegates of government departments, universities, research institutes and enterprises at SG2019.

SUSTech President Chen Shiyi welcomed the guests to Shenzhen, saying that SG2019 had scientific and practical significance in this current era. SUSTech is a great supporter of environmental science, and provides strong encouragement for the development of environmental protection across the region and the nation, in line with “Beautiful Shenzhen.”

Shenzhen Deputy Mayor Huang Min introduced Shenzhen’s development history and discussed the work Shenzhen is doing on improving the quality of its air, water and soil. He pointed out that Shenzhen attaches great importance to the development of a green city and will continue to strengthen its environmental protection regulations. Beautiful Shenzhen will work to promote the prevention & control of water and soil pollution, in conjunction with the high-quality development of a green and ecologically proper urban environment.

In his speech, Ministry of Ecology and Environment Vice Minister Huang Runqiu focused on the major achievements in China’s ecological environmental protection and systematically introduced the policy measures for soil and groundwater pollution prevention and control in China. He explained the system governance concept within the framework of the three synergies of surface water, groundwater and soil. Huang Runqiu said the next step of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment was for advancing key tasks in comprehensively preventing and controlling soil and groundwater pollution, in order to continue the overall protection and restoration of water and soil function.

SG2019 invited a number of international and domestic academicians and well-known experts to give keynote reports, and included seminars, exhibitions and special events for young scholars. After SG2019, 50 experts and scholars came to SUSTech, examining the 3D campus construction sand table, the Cryo-Electron Microscopy Center and the National Key Laboratory of Comprehensive Control of Environmental Protection Drainage Basin Surface Water-Underground Water Pollution.