Chinese authorities have issued a plan to improve the conservation and utilization of water resources in the Yellow River basin as part of the country's efforts to advance ecological protection and high-quality development of the region, said Meng Wei, spokeswoman for the National Development and Reform Commission, at Thursday's press conference.
According to Meng, efforts will be made to strengthen the water conservation work in irrigation, animal husbandry and fisheries.
Meng Wei from the National Development and Reform Commission reports the plan at a press conference, December 16, 2021. /CMG
"The annul runoff of the Yellow River basin is only six percent of that of the Yangtze River, while the water resource utilization rate stands over 80 percent, much higher than the 40 percent of the ecological red line. The water resource shortage has become the biggest constraint of the ecological improvement and sustainable development of the basin," said Meng.
She indicates efforts will also be made to enhance the usage of reclaimed water, rainwater and desalinated seawater, and guide social funds to participate in the development of industries related to water saving.
"Strict ecology protection must be in place to force industrial transformation and upgrading in the basin from the supply side. We should abandon backward production methods and accelerate high quality development to better promote ecological protection," Meng said.
The Hukou Waterfalls, one of the most famous scenic areas in the Yellow River basin. /VCG
Dubbed the mother river of the nation, the Yellow River is China's second-longest river. Agricultural production areas along the river account for about one-third of China's grain and meat outputs.
Chinese President Xi Jinping checks the Yellow River's waterways and learns about the ecological protection and high-quality development of the river basin at a dock during his inspection of the estuary of the Yellow River in Dongying City, east China's Shandong Province, October 20, 2021. /Xinhua
The Yellow River ecological protection has been a big concern of the government. Chinese President Xi Jinping emphasized that "the protection of the Yellow River is critical to the great rejuvenation and sustainable development of the Chinese nation" in 2019, and also urged great progress in ecological protection during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025).
(Cover image via VCG)
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