To regulate and control the water volume of the Yellow River,
the second longest waterway in the country, China Tuesday started
to implement an ordinance.
This is China's first law on water volume control of the long
rivers, said Li Guoying, head of the Yellow River Conservancy
Committee under the Ministry of Water Resources.
At a press conference of the Information Office of the State
Council, Li said the regulation was designed to strengthen
management of the water resources of the Yellow River, realize
sustainable utilization, improve the ecological environment along
the waterway and promote the economic and social development of
valley areas of the river.
The ordinance stipulates that the water volume of the Yellow
River will be under the unified control of the state. It also has
specific stipulations on the water allocation, regulation and
control, emergency management, supervision and legal
responsibilities.
The Yellow River, popularly known as China's Mother River, is
the major water resource for the northwest and north China. It
plays a vital role as it provides water for 12 percent of China's
1.3 billion people, 15 percent of China's farmland and more than 50
large and medium-sized cities.
However, the water level of the river changes remarkably in
different years and suffers a great imbalance in flow
in different seasons and regions.
The Yellow River carries more silt than any other river in the
world. It's well known as a river of disasters as floods have taken
the lives of many people over the past 2,000 years.
The water volume in the river has been falling in recent years
due to climate changes and degradation of the environment. Some
parts of the river were actually dry on 21 occasions between 1971
and 1999.
Water from the source of the Yellow River has dropped by 23
percent in the past ten years, officials said.
Li said China had taken measures to protect water sources and
control the total volume used by cities along the Yellow River
which had prevented it from drying up over the past seven
years.
These successful experiences were a solid foundation for the
implementation of the ordinance, Li added.
(Xinhua News Agency August 2, 2006)