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Water is a main controlling factor for economic development and eco-environmental protection in the inland river basins of arid western China. Ground-water, as a component of total water resources, plays a dominant role in the development of western China because of its stable quantity and quality. In recent years, the utilization ratio of surface water has been raised, the ground-water recharge rate from surface water has been reduced, and ground-water has been exploited on a large scale. This has led to the decline of ground-water levels and the degradation of eco-environments. Taking the Heihe river basin as an example, this paper describes ground-water characteristics in the water cycle, deals with the status of ground-water resources, analyses the problems of ground-water resource development and, finally, suggests strategies for rational use of ground-water resources in the arid inland river basins of western China. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]