Drying up of the Yellow River: its impacts and counter-measures

摘要

The Yellow River is the second largest river in China with an annual run-off of 58 billion m~3 but its lower course is drying up every year, significantly affecting industrial and agricultural production and the livelihood of the people living alongside the river. This paper analyses the human and natural factors responsible for this phenomenon. The paper concludes with a suggested strategy and countermeasures to mitigate the drying up of the river, including (1) strengthening the unified administrative management and water rights management in the watershed; (2) employing economic measures to promote water conservation as a general policy; (3) developing new water projects and increasing the ability to regulate flow in the watershed; and (4) implementing the South to North Water Transfer Project.