Introduction to the International Water Transfer Projects and Comparison with the East Route of Chinese South to North Water Transfer Project

摘要

Addressing water scarcity or water quality in one or more regions by transporting additional supplies from hydrological richer basins has been long-time practiced and is known as Inter Basin Water Transfer (IBWT). IBWT projects have been planned and constructed worldwide, at different scales and for different reasons and the history of large water structure construction is filled by the alternate successes and failures of such human endeavors. Failures, indeed, are measured not only against the structural performances of the IBWT project but also, and most often, against the capability of the infrastructure to partially or completely fulfill the requirements for which it was originally designed. The possibility of predicting some of these failures is never an easy and straightforward task and complexity increases with the size of the project. Comparing a proposed or undergoing project to other of similar size and/or similar characteristics could greatly help to avoid common mistakes and provide guidance in dealing with the construction and management of the structure.