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Hukou Waterfall on Yellow River to Disappear: Experts
The Hukou Waterfall, which is in a narrow, precipitous gorge and is known for the rapid speed of the water and its thunderous sound, will become less than 10 meters wide in 50 years if no effective measures are taken, Chinese experts warned.
The waterfall on China's second largest river, the Yellow River, about 46 kilometers west of Jixian county seat, north China's Shanxi Province, is shrinking at a rate of 20 centimeters a year and will disappear as a result of reduced water flow, they said.
The experts called for effective steps to reclaim the ecological environment on the upper and middle reaches of the river to control soil erosion in an attempt to save the waterfall, which is now only 10 meters wide.
Data from the Yellow River Water Resources Committee showed that the water flow of the Wubao Hydropower Station on the upper reaches of the waterfall is less than 100 cubic meters per second this year, and even dropped to 48 cubic meters per second not long ago compared with the station's record water flow of 32,000 cubic meters per second.
Experts from Shanxi Province also attributed the shrinking of the waterfall to geological factors. Historical records shows that the width of the waterfall shrank one-seventh over the past 2,700 years due to erosion of rocks at the two sides of the river bed.
The waterfall attracts millions of tourists every year as well as daredevils who attempt to ride their motorcycle across the waterfall.
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