North China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region is on the alert for a disastrous ice run in the Yellow River as warm spring weather approaches.

If the frozen water in the upper reaches of the Yellow River thaws too quickly, Inner Mongolia will be in danger of severe ice run, according to Jing Lishan, an official with the autonomous region's government.

The ice in the river in Ningxia had thawed completely by yesterday, without damaging ice run.

And the Inner Mongolia section of the Yellow River is the only one that is still frozen.

As many as 45,800 people have been mobilized in Inner Mongolia to watch for possible ice run, as they prepare to deliver huge amounts of relief materials, Jing said.

The Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region has been afflicted with some of China's severest ice run.

The country has tried to counter the phenomenon since 1949 with the help of several large-scale reservoirs in the upper reaches of the Yellow River.

The use of the Liujiaxia Reservoir to control river levels is one major measure in place to prevent possible ice run this year.

But this year, the ice has been particularly thick and the river embankments are not considered strong enough at several spots to control the flow.

Thick silt has also accumulated in the river since its last big flood in 1982, worrying Jing and his colleagues.

"We have had the embankments under close watch day and night," Jing said.

As for the other major river in China -- the Yangtze River -- the prospects are much better.

With more rainfall arriving ahead of spring, its water levels have risen.

The removal of silt has also opened many waterways to boat traffic again.

But the water levels could fluctuate and will not rise significantly until May when the flood season begins, said Chen Guiya, a leading expert with the Yangtze River Water Resource Committee.

However, below-average January rainfalls and the diversion of water for electricity generation caused the upper and middle reaches of the Yangtze River to reach historic lows this month.

Some sections of the river reported their lowest water levels in a century, seriously affecting river transportation.

(China Daily February 24, 2003)