Water Scarcity of China's Yellow River May WorsenThe Yellow River, China's second longest river, may face an even worse water shortage in the years to come along with the social and economic development of its drainage area.Research conducted recently by the Yellow River Water Resource Committee showed that by the year 2010, 2030 and 2050, the use of water from the river, for various things like industry and agriculture, will reach respectively 54, 65 and 73 billion cubic meters, much larger than the current 49 billion cubic meters. With the average annual water-flow volume of only 58 billion cubic meters, the Yellow River is now suffering from a severe water shortage problem and for the first time in history it has begun to run out of water during the dry season. According to the research, together with the shortage in the quantity of water, the water quality of the Yellow River will also have greater impact on the social and economic development of the villages, towns, industries and people that depend on it. "We need to save more water and make full use of every drop of water in order to face the coming water tension," the researchers warned. "At the same time, we need to do better water management and allocation work," they added. In order to solve the water shortage problem in areas along the Yellow River, China has been considering a huge project to channel water from the south to the north. |
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