VZCZCXRO0005
RR RUEHGH RUEHVC
DE RUEHCN #0074/01 0791030
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 201030Z MAR 07
FM AMCONSUL CHENGDU
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2414
INFO RUEHOO/CHINA POSTS COLLECTIVE
RUEHRC/DEPT OF AGRICULTURE WASHINGTON DC
RUEHCN/AMCONSUL CHENGDU 2925

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 CHENGDU 000074 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EAP/CM, OES, AND EB 
NSC FOR CHRISTINA COLLINS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ECON EAGR ELAB PGOV SENV SOCI CH
SUBJECT: WATER AND LAND USE IN SOUTHEASTERN YUNNAN 
 
CHENGDU 00000074  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary.  Although southeastern Yunnan boasts good 
soils, warm growing seasons, and adequate rainfall, its geology 
makes agriculture difficult in many areas.  Land use patterns 
show a predominance of Han people in well-watered areas, with 
minorities tending to farm highland regions with little usable 
water.  A Chinese-U.S. project aims to map water resources, and 
perhaps lay a foundation for better irrigation of the uplands. 
End summary. 
 
¶2. (U) In connection with a visit from a Bangkok-based USAID 
official, Congenoff recently visited Kaiyuan and Mengzi 
Prefectures in southeastern Yunnan Province to inspect a project 
undertaken as part of the China Environmental Health Project. 
Known as the "Technical Program for Water," the project brings 
together researchers from Western Kentucky University and 
Chongqing's Southwest University of China to map underground 
water resources and determine their availability for 
agricultural use as well as their vulnerability to pollution. 
 
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THE KARST LANDSCAPE: BEAUTIFUL, BUT DRY 
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-------- 
 
¶3. (U) One defining feature of the southeast Yunnan landscape is 
the predominance of limestone karst formations.  These 
formations are often stunningly beautiful (one area is called 
the "Stone Forest"), but their extremely porous nature means 
that the soil in such areas retains little rainfall, especially 
when the topography is mountainous.  Instead, rain falling on 
such areas drains into underground aquifers, and then into the 
valleys below.  As a result, higher elevations are quite poor 
agriculturally, while the valleys below are well-watered and 
fertile.  Perhaps not surprisingly, many of the region's 
minority peoples tend to live in the mountainous areas, while 
Han and Hui (Chinese Muslims of Han ancestry) dominate the 
valleys. 
 
¶4. (SBU) According to a presentation made by Western Kentucky 
University representatives, almost 100 million people in China 
live in karst landscape regions, and at least 10 million of 
those are classified as "impoverished."  Water scarcity is a 
major contributor to rural poverty in these areas, and post-1958 
deforestation has increased water runoff rates.  In addition, 
the area boasts significant mineral resources (especially tin 
and lead), and the government's emphasis on developing mineral 
extraction and processing industries has resulted in significant 
groundwater pollution, reducing further the amount of usable 
water. 
 
¶5. (U) Previous research has established the general direction 
of underground water flows in the area, but the exact location 
of the channels remains unknown.  The primary aim of the 
Technical Program for Water is to map those aquifers, with the 
idea that local officials and residents may be able eventually 
to tap into them for irrigation purposes. 
 
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LITTLE WATER, LITTLE CASH 
------------------------------------------ 
 
¶6. (SBU) Visits to upland villages confirmed the relative 
poverty of the area.  One example was the village of Laoyang, 
about a two hour drive east of Kaiyuan.  According to the 
village chief Chen Yonghua, Laoyang is home to about 250 people, 
a mixture of Han, Yi, Hui, Miao, and Zhuang ethnic groups. 
However, Cheng said his position of village chief included 
presiding over nine other villages in the area, with a total 
population of about 3,000. 
 
¶7. (SBU) Although rural households were supposedly limited to 
two children each, Chen admitted (somewhat sheepishly) that most 
families in the area had three or more children.  Asked about 
fines or penalties for exceeding the legal number, Chen said 
only that "those things are handled by the county government." 
 
¶8. (SBU) Laoyang was home to a one-room, one-teacher school, 
offering the first three grades only.  Students who want further 
education have to travel to a neighboring village several miles 
away - Chen said that very few local children completed the 
"compulsory" nine years of education.  He added that local 
residents elected him as chief since he was the best educated 
person in the village, having attended vocational high school. 
 
¶9. (SBU) Annual per capita income in the area is about 1200 RMB 
(USD 155), and most cash is generated from the sale of tobacco. 
Chen said that most subsistence crops are fertilized with night 
 
CHENGDU 00000074  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
soil and pig manure, although tobacco requires a special 
chemical fertilizer.  Later discussions with farmers in the 
nearby village of Shidong confirmed tobacco is the major source 
of cash from agriculture in the area:  one farmer volunteered 
the information that he had 10 mu (about 1.2 acres) of tobacco 
under cultivation, and that he cleared about 600 RMB (USD 78) 
per year in profit from each mu.  Most male farmers said they 
often go to urban areas in the fall and winter in search of 
construction work. 
 
¶10. (SBU) Water resources are scant in the upland areas.  At the 
center of Laoyang was a fetid-looking small pond, from which 
villagers were drawing water in small buckets.  Some houses were 
furnished with small cisterns to catch rain water. Most 
residents readily agreed that an increase in usable water would 
bring significant increases in agricultural productivity. 
 
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COMMENT 
--------------- 
 
¶11. (SBU) Balancing water resources and land use in the Kaiyuan 
area appears to be a major challenge for government planners. 
Existing water use patterns strongly favor Han residents, while 
upland minority farmers turn to tobacco (and seasonal 
construction jobs) to earn badly needed cash.  In addition, 
mineral extraction industries provide jobs and supply metal ore 
for China's development, but also contribute significantly to 
water contamination.  The Technical Program for Water may give 
officials a valuable tool for distributing water more evenly - 
but whether they will actually be able to make such difficult 
decisions fairly still remains to be seen. 
 
¶12. (U) This cable has been cleared by Embassy Beijing. 
JURICIC