China's capacity to safeguard water security in the Yellow River Basin has been significantly strengthened and the ecological environment in the region has been steadily improved over the past five years since the introduction of the ecological conservation and high-quality development strategy.
The Yellow River, the "mother river" of the Chinese nation, is the second-longest river in China, spanning 5,464 kilometers. It supplies water to 12 percent of China's population in more than 50 cities and irrigates 17 percent of the country's arable land.
The Yellow River basin had been the cradle of political, economic, and cultural centers of the country for 3,000 years in the more than 5,000-year history of the Chinese civilization.
The river has maintained a continuous flow for 25 consecutive years since August 1999, thanks to the implementation of unified water allocation.
In the past five years, the mainstream of the Yellow River has supplied over 130 billion cubic meters of water.
"Over the past 25 years, the mainstream of the Yellow River has supplied over 540 billion cubic meters of water to the basin and the surrounding areas, effectively supporting the steady socioeconomic devleopment of the region," said Yuan Xiaoli, director with the water resources scheduling department under the water resources management bureau of the Yellow River Conservancy Commission.
Since ancient times, Chinese people have struggled against the flooding of the Yellow River, and conservation of the river has always been high on the country's agenda.
"As of now, standardized embankments stretching 1,371 kilometers have been completed in the downstream of the Yellow River, serving as a flood control barrier, an emergency response route, and an ecological landscape. This can effectively prevent dam breach and overtopping," said Zhang Hongxing, deputy director with the planning department of the commission.
The Yellow River basin has seen great improvement in the ecological environment after continuous conservation efforts.
"The Yellow River delta national nature reserve has witnessed a substantial surge in both the variety and population of birds, rising from 187 species in 1992 to 373 species today. This expansion has greatly enriched the biodiversity of the region," said Yuan.
Development strategy enhances water security, improves eco-environment in Yellow River Basin
