From May 18 to 23, Professor Liu Junguo, Professor Zheng Yan, and Postdoctoral Researcher Mao Ganquan from the Department of Environmental Science and Engineering traveled to Cambodia to research “Changes in Climate and Water Resources in Southeast Asia.” As part of a special project series themed “Climate Change in the Pan-Third Pole Region and the Building of Green Silk Road,” the Southeast Asia project is carried out by SUSTech, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing Normal University and University of Gothenburg (UG). Leading researchers of the project are SUSTech Professor Liu Junguo and UG Academician Chen Deliang.
As a response to the great demand of green growth and sustainable development in “Belt and Road” countries, Liu and Chen’s Southeast Asia project closely revolves around the use of water resources, the ecological environment and people’s health in Southeast Asia’s Pan-Third Pole regions. Their research precisely simulates regional climate conditions and future climate change, which reveals historical evolutionary trends in climate change and water resources, so the researchers could discuss the impact human activities have on water resources and ecological environment. The research also elaborates on the human exposure mechanism of arsenic in underground water and offers effective preventive and control measures to ensure water safety in Southeast Asia and the “Belt and Road” countries.
From May 18 to 20, Liu and Chen’s research team attended a seminar on water resources and environmental problems in the capital city Phnom Penh. Participants from the host country are from the Royal University of Phnom Penh, Institute of Technology of Cambodia, Zaman University and Cambodia Development Resource Institute (CDRI). Later, the team was invited to CDRI and conducted fieldwork along the Mekong River, especially Les Quatre Bras (the Four Arms), where two arms of the Mekong meet the Bassac and Tonlé Sap tributaries.
From May 21 to 22, the team and experts from China Geological Survey did on-site hydrology and geology work in Phnom Penh, Kampong Chhnang, and Pursat. They visited Ministry of Mines and Energy, discussed the Sino-Cambodia collaborative research on respective hydrological and geological environment of the two countries, and signed agreements for collaborations in 2018 and 2019. The Chinese representatives then went on-site to study hydrology, water quality and fishermen’s living conditions at the Tonlé Sap Lake. They also analyzed underground water use at Pursat and surveyed the typical geological section dating from the Jurassic Period to the Cretaceous Period.
The SUSTech research team also participated in the admission work of prospective SUSTech students from Cambodia and exchanged conversations with leaders of Cambodia’s Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport on Sino-Cambodia education and research collaborations.
This week-long trip has produced fruitful research results and laid solid foundations for collaborations with Cambodia in scientific research.
