An appraisal mission comprising Australian water specialist Mr Clive Lyle and project officers from the PCO was undertaken in the Shule River Basin, one of three inland river basins in northwest China, Gansu Province, from 25^th - 29^th October 2008.

The mission aimed to establish a clear understanding of the problems facing the Shule River Basin and assess the potential for funding a proposal that would build on the recent success of a World Bank project in the river basin.

During the visit, the Shule River Basin Management Bureau (SRBMB) and provincial water authorities gave a comprehensive presentation of the current water resources and river basin management situation in the Shule river basin, on the basis of which the proposal would be designed. The design team visited a number of sites including the SRBMB information control centre, one of the 3 main reservoirs in the region, groundwater monitoring schemes, local water user associations, as well as various water management departments in order to gain a comprehensive on-the-ground picture of the proposal area.

Meetings with both the Shule and Gansu Provincial Water Management Bureaus were also held during the 5-day appraisal, in which a wide range of issues concerning the design team and proposing agency were discussed. It was agreed by both parties that the proposal would focus on capacity building and strengthening river basin management through collaboration of Australian and Chinese experts and facilitating academic input into the project. The proposal also aims to demonstrate pilot experience in integrated river basin management that is of national replication value.

Following the mission, the PCO will assess the revised concept paper for the proposal, prepared by Mr Lyle, and make a recommendation to AusAID in late November regarding the proposals suitability for funding under the ACEDP.