The Yellow River, China's second longest and the main provider of water to China's western region, is now facing a serious water shortage.

The Yellow River now shoulders a heavier burden of water supply amidst the central government's drive to develop China's western regions.

The shortage of water may reach 23 billion cubic meters a year in the coming century and will reach its peak by the year 2050.

To try to resolve the shortage of water by 2010, the Yellow River Water Conservation Committee plans to build a number of water saving projects, covering 50 percent of the irrigation area and to channel another 4 billion cubic meters of water a year from the south to north of the River, said Chen Xiaoguo, chief engineer of the committee.

Channeled water is expected to reach 23 billion cubic meters by the year 2050.

Since the 1990s, water shortages have occurred almost every year.

The Yellow river holds two percent of the country's total water resources and provides water to 15 percent of China's farmland mainly in the middle and western regions.

Measures taken this year have helped cut the dry period of the river to 42 days as against 132 days last year.