Global warming and overdevelopment have decreased the water
storage capacity of the Yellow River in Maqu, Gansu Province, local weather authorities have
said.
The flow of the country's second-longest river in Maqu has
slowed by 64 percent, compared with the 1980s, while grassland and
wetland areas have shrunk by 45 percent, according to the Gansu
Provincial Meteorological Bureau.
The Yellow River originates in Qinghai Province, which neighbors
Gansu. Maqu functions as a basin for the river because of its
substantial grasslands and wetlands.
The length of the Yellow River in Maqu exceeds 430 km.
Research by the meteorological bureau and local authority
suggests global warming has adversely affected the permafrost
layer, which decreased from 120 cm in the 1970s to less than 70
cm.
Thinning of the permafrost layer decreases the soil's water
storage capacity as water evaporates or filters underground.
Slowing of the river is also a factor. In the 1980s the river
flow was calculated at around 3.85 billion tons annually, but in
2006 the figure was 1.38 billion tons.
Development of the area has also caused deterioration of the
wetlands and grasslands habitats in Maqu.
Experts believe that if the wetlands continue to shrink and
water sources dry up, it will endanger the ecology of the entire
Yellow River Basin.
"The region's function as a reservoir for the Yellow River has
decreased significantly," deputy director of the meteorological
bureau Zhang Qiang said.
As a result local government officers in Maqu drew up plans
early last month to protect the area's environment.
Gansu has earmarked 6.6 billion yuan ($877 million), until 2020,
on wetland protection in Maqu, according to Yang Yong, deputy
director of the Regional Sector of Gansu Provincial Development and
Reform Committee.
The project has two phases, with the focus on grassland recovery
and wetland protection from 2007 to 2010; water conservation and
replenishment from 2010 to 2020.
"With the completion of the project the environment is expected
to improve greatly," Zhang said.
(China Daily September 13, 2007)
