Engineering and environmental problems in karst - An introduction

Thinking of karst, one might imagine profusely decorated caves, pristine water springs, or spectacular tower karst landscapes (fenglin) like those of Guilin in China. Apart from the highly valuable heritage that may constitute the karst landforms and waters, the interaction between human activity and the karst environment may lead to numerous detrimental effects, either on the natural resources (environmental impacts, like water pollution), or on the human property and activity (risks, like damaging sinkholes). The drinking-water supply of many populated areas of the world is largely derived from karst aquifers and numerous urban areas are underlain by karstified bedrock.