Beijing takes steps to revive Yellow River
China expects newly centralised management of the once-mighty Yellow River to allow more efficient use of its dwindling flow, but efforts to cut waste could be undermined by a reluctance to raise water prices.
Beijing on Tuesday implemented rules intended to revive a river that has faded to a shadow of the course-shifting and flood-prone leviathan known in antiquity as “China’s Sorrow”.
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The parched northern Chinese regions that line the Yellow River’s route have long fought over access to its waters, much of which is then wasted in leaky irrigation channels and inefficient and polluting factories.
The new rules set procedures for water allocation, define the responsibilities of local authorities along the river and its tributaries, and permit fines of up to Rmb100,000 ($12,500, �9,800, ￡6,700) for officials found guilty of misconduct.
Responsibility for river management would now be much clearer, said Li Guoying, head of the Yellow River Conservancy Commission.
“Before these regulations, we lacked adequate implementation of a responsibility system,” Mr Li said, adding that the commission would now be better able to allocate water rights and respond to droughts.
Efficient use of the Yellow River is a central part of efforts to ease water shortages and falling water tables across northern China.
Inflows to the river
