Songhuaba Dam Nature Reserve in Kunming
Overview
The Songhuaba Dam Nature Reserve (松花坝自然保护区) is located in the northeastern part of Kunming (昆明), within the counties (districts) of Songming (嵩明) and Guandu (官渡) in Yunnan Province (云南省). The geographical coordinates are between 102°45′ to 102°59′ East and 25°08′ to 25°27′ North, covering a total area of 62,980 hectares. The reserve serves as a vital ecological zone, contributing significantly to the local environment and biodiversity.
Geographic Environment
The Songhuaba Dam Nature Reserve is situated in the northeastern area of Kunming, specifically in Songming and Guandu. The reserve encompasses a total area of 62,980 hectares. The Songhuaba Reservoir has a dam height of 47 meters and a total storage capacity of 6.8 million cubic meters. The annual regional runoff is approximately 210 million cubic meters in normal years. This area is recognized as the source of the Panlong River (盘龙江) and is part of the watershed for Dianchi Lake (滇池). The water source from Songhuaba is crucial for both agricultural and industrial production in Kunming, as well as for the daily lives of its residents. The reserve was established in 1981 as a provincial-level nature reserve.
Historical Background
The governance of Dianchi Lake saw significant contributions from Ertai (鄂尔泰), who served as the administrative head of Yunnan and Guizhou during the Yongzheng era of the Qing Dynasty (清朝). Between the seventh and tenth years of Yongzheng (1729–1732), the water system of Dianchi Lake underwent comprehensive management efforts. These included dredging six rivers that flow into Dianchi and constructing flood control gates. Huang Shijie (黄士杰), an official in charge of water conservancy, also authored “A Discussion of the Six Rivers in Yunnan Province” (《云南省六河图说》), summarizing the experiences and lessons learned from the management of the Dianchi water system.
The water conservancy project at Songhuaba has seen development throughout the Yuan (元), Ming (明), and Qing (清) dynasties, with multiple stages of construction of water diversion tunnels and irrigation systems along the banks of the Panlong and Jinzi Rivers (金汁河). The Songhuaba canal system connects with other river systems, such as Yinji (银汁), Baoxiang (宝象), Maliiao (马料), and Haiyuan (海源), collectively forming the water conservancy project system in the Dianchi region, referred to as the Six Rivers of Kunming (昆明六河水利).
During the Ming and Qing dynasties, the floodgates were repaired and expanded, increasing the irrigated area significantly.
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