China has built 54,000 water conservancy projects in the Yellow River Basin over the past 80 years, while advancing water conservancy infrastructure and the scientific development and utilization of water and hydropower resources, it was revealed at a press conference held on Friday. Speaking at the press conference, Wang Bao'en, vice minister of the water resources, said the Yellow River, which accounts for 2 percent of the country's river runoff, feeds about 12 percent of China's population, irrigates about 17 percent of arable land, and supports 14 percent of national GDP. A series of inter-basin water diversion projects have been implemented, effectively alleviating the regional water supply tension and improving the environment in ecologically fragile areas, he said.
"We have been carrying out large-scale, comprehensive soil erosion control across the Loess Plateau, and the plateau's overall landscape has gradually turned from yellow to green. Controlling soil erosion has not only significantly reduced the sediment entering the Yellow River, but also effectively improved local living and production conditions. It has generated cumulative economic benefits of 2.43 trillion yuan and helped lift more than 2.5 million people in the region out of poverty," said Wang.
"Meanwhile, we have continued to strengthen water ecological and environmental governance. Water quality in the main stream has remained stable at Grade II [under China's five-tier water quality system] for nearly four years, and ecological flow compliance rates in key rivers and lakes have exceeded 90 percent, helping build a solid national ecological security barrier," he added.
China builds 54,000 water conservancy projects in Yellow River basin over 80 years
