Congratulatory Message from Director of IRTCES, Dr. Kuang Shangfu,Eng.

WASER/IAHR/IRTCES Study Tour to the Three Gorges Project (TGP),8-15 August 2005, Yichang,
Hubei Province , China

It is a great pleasure to extend my sincere congratulations to the WASER/IAHR-APD/IRTCES Study Tour to the Three Gorges Project in Yichang , China from August 8 to August 15, 2005. The International Research and Training Center on Erosion and Sedimentation (IRTCES) was jointly set up by the Government of China and UNESCO on July 21, 1984, in Beijing , China . The Ministry of Water Resources is the governmental executive agency of China.

Since its founding, IRTCES has made significant contributions in research and training to solve scientific and engineering problems related to erosion and sedimentation, and is one of the most important representatives of China as a partner of UNESCO. IRTCES has conducted many international and domestic technical cooperative research and consulting programs and projects related to erosion and sedimentation.

IRTCES has organized international and domestic training courses, symposia, and workshops. It publishes the International Journal of Sediment Research, as well as the Gazette of River Sediment in China , and other Chinese and English publications. IRTCES awards the Chien Ning Prize for outstanding sediment researchers and sediment management engineers. It is the organizer and promoter of the National Information Network of Erosion and Sedimentation and the Sediment Measurement and Research Team. IRTCES is the permanent secretariat of ISRS and also serves as the secretariat of the World Association for Sedimentation and Erosion Research (WASER).

I believe that the study tour jointly organized by WASER, IAHR-APD and IRTCES will provide the participants the opportunity to exchange perspectives and to broaden their understanding of sediment research and eco-environmental conservation and to promote future cooperation and friendship. I wish every success of this study tour. I wish all the participants enjoy their visit, and enjoy their life in China .

Prof. Kuang Shangfu

Director of the IRTCES