Reservoirs to control 'mother' Yellow River
Source: Xinhua |
April 8, 2013, Monday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
CHINA will build three more large-scale reservoirs on the troublesome Yellow River, the nation's second-longest river, after authorities gave a green light this month to a plan to harness the river.
After six years of programming, the State Council, China's Cabinet, has approved the Comprehensive Plan for the Yellow River Basin in the period through 2030. According to the plan, the three new reservoirs will be Heishanxia, Qikou and Guxian.
The Guxian Reservoir is expected to completed around 2020. The Qikou Reservoir will be built after Guxian and construction plans for the Heishanxia Reservoir are still in the making.
The newly approved plan will mainly focus on water and silt control, flood prevention, water and soil erosion prevention, water resource allocation and utilization, water resource and ecology protection and the drainage areas' comprehensive management. The further development of the Yellow River, as well as programs for irrigation and shipping, are also part of the plan.
The Yellow River, known as China's "Mother River" and the cradle of early Chinese civilization, runs through nine provinces and autonomous regions and empties into the Bohai Sea in east China's Shandong Province.
With a length of 5,464 kilometers, the Yellow River provides water to 12 percent of China's 1.3 billion population, 15 percent of its farmland and generates about 14 percent of its gross domestic product.
"The Yellow River lacks water resources and the water supply obtained from the river at present is beyond its capacity," said Chen Xiaojiang, director of the Yellow River Conservancy Commission of the Ministry of Water Resources.
Statistics show that nearly 160 million tons of sand is washed into the Yellow River each year.
Records have shown that the Yellow River dried up frequently between the 1970s and 1990s. In 1997, statistics from a hydrological station indicated that a 704km section of river had dried up for 226 days.
The government, experts and other relevant organizations have taken action since 1999 to prolong the life of the river.
"The key to bringing the river under control is to control its water and sand," Chen said.
Four water reservoirs have been built on the main stream of the river. Existing and planned reservoirs are expected to reduce the amount of silt washed into the river by half to 80 million tons by 2030.
After six years of programming, the State Council, China's Cabinet, has approved the Comprehensive Plan for the Yellow River Basin in the period through 2030. According to the plan, the three new reservoirs will be Heishanxia, Qikou and Guxian.
The Guxian Reservoir is expected to completed around 2020. The Qikou Reservoir will be built after Guxian and construction plans for the Heishanxia Reservoir are still in the making.
The newly approved plan will mainly focus on water and silt control, flood prevention, water and soil erosion prevention, water resource allocation and utilization, water resource and ecology protection and the drainage areas' comprehensive management. The further development of the Yellow River, as well as programs for irrigation and shipping, are also part of the plan.
The Yellow River, known as China's "Mother River" and the cradle of early Chinese civilization, runs through nine provinces and autonomous regions and empties into the Bohai Sea in east China's Shandong Province.
With a length of 5,464 kilometers, the Yellow River provides water to 12 percent of China's 1.3 billion population, 15 percent of its farmland and generates about 14 percent of its gross domestic product.
"The Yellow River lacks water resources and the water supply obtained from the river at present is beyond its capacity," said Chen Xiaojiang, director of the Yellow River Conservancy Commission of the Ministry of Water Resources.
Statistics show that nearly 160 million tons of sand is washed into the Yellow River each year.
Records have shown that the Yellow River dried up frequently between the 1970s and 1990s. In 1997, statistics from a hydrological station indicated that a 704km section of river had dried up for 226 days.
The government, experts and other relevant organizations have taken action since 1999 to prolong the life of the river.
"The key to bringing the river under control is to control its water and sand," Chen said.
Four water reservoirs have been built on the main stream of the river. Existing and planned reservoirs are expected to reduce the amount of silt washed into the river by half to 80 million tons by 2030.
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