Water Depletion of Yellow River in China - Coursework Example

Yellow River Outline Introduction This section gives a of the river in terms of its origins, the distance it covers and its significance to the Chinese people. 1. The Yellow River Basin Geography This section gives a description of the Yellow River’s Basin Geography which details the various parts the river i.e. the upper reach, the middle reach and the lower reach. The Upper reach is the largest section of the river that is composed of about half of the entire basin. The middle reach of the river consists of about 46 percent of the river basin while the lower basin is the smallest in terms of percentage. 1. Estimates of the Basin water resources This section gives the estimate of the water basin including a description of the formula used in estimation.  The section also gives a detailed account of the Yellow river’s drying history. In particular, it gives the dates in which the river has dried up such as in 1972 and 1997.   4.      Causes of Decline of Water Resources This section focuses on the causes of the decline of the water resources including human consumption, industrial processes and natural processes. 5.      The China Water Crisis This part of the paper details the challenges facing China with regards to water supply and the looming consequences of water shortage in the near future Abstract The Yellow River remains of the most important river in Chinese history. Also referred to as Huanghe, Yellow River is among the largest Rivers in China. The river has its origins in the Bayangela Mountains that are found in Western side of the country. The river traverses many areas including Gobi desert, Loess Plateau and terminates in Bohai Gulf. In brief, the Yellow River cuts across over 9 Provinces and covers a total distance of 5,400 Km (Zhu, Giordano and Cai 2) . Despite the significance the river holds with regards to China’s political, economic and social development, it is now faced with a threat of drying and flooding. These issues have at particular instances have caused misery to the Chinese people at scales almost unheard of elsewhere across the globe. The Yellow River’s characteristic of exhibiting two patterns in relation to human livelihood has led to its being called “the Cradle of Chinese civilization.” Since the time the People’s Republic of China found its independence in 1949, major achievements have occurred with regards to flood control and, through development, drought mitigation in the Yellow River basin. Although the problems of flooding have always existed in the Yellow River; that the river started drying in the 1990s has caused concerns among the basin management and other environmentalists. Yellow River’s Basin Geography For effective analysis of yellow river, it will be divided into three distinct parts i.e. the upper reach, the middle reach and the lower reach. The Upper Part of the River This is the largest part of the River and usually drains over half of the entire basin area (Giordano, Zhu and Cai). The reach covers from where the river originates in the mountains to the Toudaoguai close to Datong city. Although the upper reach forms the largest part of the river’s basin surface, the contribution emanates largely from two distinct geographic backdrops that have a characteristic counteracting physical processes (Zhu et al. 17). The plateau where the Yellow river has its origins, the presence of steep rock slopes together with the low moisture of the area ensures production of high runoff coefficients and retention of high amounts of moisture (Jahiel 758). The high runoff coefficient in combination with the high rate of precipitation usually experienced at the area enable the upper reach to contribute over 50 percent of the river’s total runoff by the point of the Lanzhou gauging station (Xu 415). As the Yellow river moves to the northern areas such as the Ningxia plains and the Gobi desert, the rate of evaporation of the river increase significantly while that of precipitation fall and, consequently; the amount of runoff of the Yellow river reduces (Jiao 28). The impact of this is that the section from Langzhou to Toudaoguai gets a low amount of runoff contrary to the amount it could receive if the river kept an eastward course. The Middle Reach of the Yellow River This part of the river occupies 46% of the washbasin and is responsible for providing about 43% of the river’s total runoff and it occupies the area between Toudaoguai and Huayankou gauging stations. The Yellow river’s “great bend” originates at Toudaoguai and goes from end to end to the south and onto the Loess Upland (Zhu, Giordano and Cai 3). The middle reach of the Yellow river is highly significant in the sense that it ensures basin water balance and also avails water for human consumption (Wang, Jikun & Qing 5). For the middle reach to ensure basin water balance and provide water for human consumption, first and foremost the reach includes some of the river’s most crucial tributaries, for instance the Fenhe and Weihe and these contribute a substantial amount to the middle reach basin’s total flow (Wang, Jikun, Lijuan & Scott 122). Secondly, the Loess plateau has soils that are highly vulnerable to erosion; consequently, as the river turns southwards, it erodes the soils which then enter the main stem and its tributaries as huge quantities of silt that cause sedimentation (Wang 8). The unpredictable storms together with the intensive summer storms that usually occur in the middle reach contribute to the sedimentation problem and this has been identified as the reason behind the river’s historically devastating floods. The Lower Reach of the Yellow River This reach starts at Huayuankou and forms one of the most fascinating river segments that have served to attract millions of tourists across the globe (Zhang 10). At Huayuankou, the process of transportation of the segments commences as the river spills onto the flat Northern Plains of China producing a uniformly aggrading bed and a naturally meandering and unstable channel (Zhang, Shangshi 46). In order to ensure stability of the channel, levees have been constructed to hold the river. These structures have been seen to be successful; their success in holding water is largely dependent on consistently raising levee walls as the silt continually raise the level of the channel that is constrained within. The continued process of levee rising has led to the creation of a “suspended” river whereby the channel bottom is above the ground, in some cases up to 10 meters. Although the raising of the channel plays an essential role in the sedimentation process, it has far reaching implications in as far as flooding to the neighbouring countryside us concerned. Estimates of the Basin water resources China, like the Western nations have a long tradition of conserving water following the critical importance it plays not only for human and animal consumption but also for the role it plays in the economy (Huang 39). Due to their high regard for water, scientific and policy exchanges in water exchange have become increasingly common in these countries; however, there are a myriad of problems that have hindered the successful exchanges of these policies. One such challenge is the issue of language barrier, although this may be combated by translation. There is also a challenge of not underestimating the extent of the issues at hand. In carrying out the estimation of the basin water resources, a framework adopted by the Yellow River Conservancy Commission (YRCC) is used. In the framework, the Yellow River water is divided into two main components i.e. the surface water and the ground water component. In calculating the apparent water, usually the flow restrained is accustomed by approximations of human exhaustion and adjustment in storage (Zhu, Giordano and Cai). After this calculation, groundwater resources are also calculated but separated as water from the mountain areas and plains areas. The sum is attuned to recompense for a double counting fault which happens in the approximation process (Zhu, Giordano and Cai). The estimation arrived at from adding total surface and ground water is then adjusted to account for the second, large, double counting error to arrive finally at a total water resource calculation. The Yellow River Dries Up Estimates indicate that the Yellow river has dried up for more than 30 times since the year 1972 when it ran dry for the very first time in history. Documented evidence show the river, for instance, ran dry for 122 days in the year 1994 along a 180-mile section in Shandong that is located within the precincts of where it empties into the Yellow Sea. Since the first case of Yellow River drying, there has been a series of cases of the river drying including the following: It ran dry in 1996 for 136 days and 226 days in 1997 and following this, the river denied water to over 7.4 million acres of farmland. Causes of Decline of Water Resources The frequent incidences of the Yellow River drying is mainly because up to 90 percent of the river’s water is taken upstream and used for consumption in the urban areas, in industries and for agricultural purposes. These activities consume a lot of water hence causing the river to run dry just when it is about to enter the Yellow sea (Needham 577). In addition to the mentioned factors leading to the Yellow River drying, there are fear the decline of water resulting from global warming and the melting of Tibetan glaciers may lead to further decline of Yellow River’s waters and frequent drying up (Julien 103). There are various arguments advanced as to the causes of the declining rainfall and the subsequent fall in runoff (Wang, Zhigang, Jikun & Scott) . Some argue that it is global warming that has led to decline in the amount rainfall and this has caused an apparent change in the rainfall to runoff ratio. In 1990s, for example, the runoff in the upper reach is estimated to have reached 16 percent whereas the middle reach saw a 34 percent decline. Others argue that is that change in the amount of rainfall could be as a result of alterations in land use patterns (Li HA 14). Whatever the reasons for the declining amount of rainfall and subsequent fall in the levels of the Yellow river, the fact of the matter is the river has had to undergo desiccation on a number of occasions and that is of major concern. Although the Yellow River has runoff, a larger percentage of the river is composed of sediment load. As previously explained, Yellow River’s runoff is from the upper reach and middle reach (Giordano). The sedimentation load, on the other hand, comes from the lower reach. The sedimentation process is usually controlled by different factors and includes the geographical structure and the features of the new tectonic movement, morphology, the composition of soil and the features of the basin runoff just to mention a few (Shi & Shao 13-20). The China Water Crisis Following the declining waters of the Yellow River, it is true that China may be faced with water crisis in the near future. The rapid depletion of both surface and ground water possessions that is going on in the country has triggered many witnesses to argue that far-flung crisis loom in the country (Gale 41-43). This concern is largely because China relies on its waters for its industrial production, the ever expanding irrigation schemes require more water to run and the country’s high population essentially require more water (Xi 34). However, it is not quite clear that that the diminishing levels of water in the Yellow river has had a substantial impact on agricultural production or economic activities (Chen, Wang & Xu 14). However, various industrial and residential areas have in one time or another experienced disruption in water supplies. Following the critical importance the Yellow River has to the economy, the decline in its amount water has raised a lot of concern from different parties. Water Supply and Use On normal cases, the Yellow River basin obtains roughly 450 mm of rainfall on an annual basis (Giordano, Zhu and Cai 6). However there is a great variation in the way the rain is distributed throughout the year. The rainfall distribution which is often spatial and temporal has led to the Yellow River basin flooding and drying causing problems to human beings. Spatially, precipitation levels, in many cases, tend to be low in the northern and western areas while it is usually high in the southern and eastern parts. On average, precipitation levels of 120 mm are experienced in Ningxia an Inner Mongolia while 800 mm of rainfall is experienced in Shandong (Giordano, Zhu and Cai 6). In areas such as Loess Plateau where the soil is highly erodible, the average amount of rainfall is less than 500 mm. In addition, there is a great variation with regards to how rainfall is spread across the years. Within the year, rainfall mostly falls in the months of June and September while very little precipitation occurs between the months of November and March (Liu, Yang & Cui 336). This variation is very important as it is coincides the country’s agricultural production and often leads to massive drought and famine. Effect of water crisis on agricultural production There are concerns that the increasingly scarce, less reliable water will have a huge impact on the China’s agricultural sector. Observers have noted that the cropping patterns among the Chinese farmers have already been affected (Chen et al. 99). The crop that has been worst hit by water scarcity is wheat that grows in the North China plain. Although there has been tremendous growth in agricultural production over the last 40 years, this is now threatened by rescinding levels. It has been observed that many farmers who initially were in wheat farming are slowly backtracking simply because surface water supplies have become unreliable (Nickum 881). In addition, the production cost has increased owing to the high costs involved in accessing water for irrigation. This has contributed to shrinking margins in their profitability thus many are slowly quitting and seeking other ventures. Conclusion The Yellow River plays a significant role in the Chinese society and, as such, the basin is considered the home to Chinese culture (Giordano, Zhu and Cai 9). For so many years, the issue compounding the Yellow River was flooding and expansion of irrigated areas. However, the rapid industrialization and irrigation has controlled flooding but also brought new challenges including water depletion. Work Cited Chen JN, Wang YZ, and Xu JH ‘The Influences of Soil and Water Conservation on the Water Resource and Sediment in the Loess Plateau.’ Zhengzhou: Yellow River Conservancy Press, 2004, Print. Chen LY, Liu SM, Xiao JF, et al. (1999) The Change of Hydrology and Sediment in the Sanmenxia Reservoir. Zhengzhou: Yellow River Conservancy Press. Gale, Fred. "China’s Food and Agriculture: Issues for the 21st Century ." April 2002. Economic Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture. Agriculture Information. Web. 11 December 2014. Gassert, Francis, et al. "Yellow River basin Study ." January 2013. World Resources Institutes. Web. 11 December 2014. Giordano, Mark, et al. Water Mangement in the Yellow River basin: Background, Current Critical Issues and Future Research Need. Research Report. Yellow River Basin: Comprehensive Assessment Secretaria, 2004. Web. Huang, Qiuqiong, ‘Irrigation, Agricultural Performance and Poverty Reduction in China, Food Policy, 2006. 31, pp: 32-52. Jahiel, A. R. ‘The Organization of Environmental Protection in China. The China Quarterly,’ 1998. 156:757-787. Jiao EZ ‘The Reservoir’s Sediment in the Yellow River. Zhengzhou: Yellow River Conservancy Press, 2004. Print. Julien P.Y River Mechanics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002. Print Li HA Present situation, water-saving potential and approach of Yellow River water irrigation district. China Rural Water and Hydropower. 2003, 4: 13–15 Liu Q, Yang ZF, and Cui BS ‘Spatial and temporal variability of annual precipitation during 1961–2006 in Yellow River Basin, China. Journal of Hydrology, 2003. 361: 330–338 Needham, J. 1956. Human Law and the Laws of Nature in China and the West. In Science and Civilization in China, volume 2. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 518-583. Nickum, J. ‘Is China Living on the Water Margin?’ The China Quarterly, 1998. 156: 881-898. Shi H, Shao MA ‘Soil and water loss from the Loess Plateau in China. Journal of Arid Environments, 2003. 45: 9–20. Wang, Jinxia. Groundwater Depletion, Implications of Land and Water Degradation of Food Security, Edited by Sithara S.Jinendradasa, Published by International Water Management Institute, Columbo, Sri Lanka: 2002. 8-9. Wang, Jinxia, Jikun Huang and Qing Xiang, ‘Challenges and Considerations of Water Crisis in China, 2000, Xinhua Digest, No. 9 Wang, Jinxia, Jikun Huang, Lijuan Zhang and Scott Rozelle, ‘Why is China’s Blue Revolution so “Blue”? The Determinants of Conservation Tillage in China,’ Journal of Soil and Water Conservation, March/April 2010, 65, (2): 113-129. Wang, Jinxia, Zhigang Xu, Jikun Huang and Scott Rozelle. Water Management Reform and Impacts: Case Study in the Yellow River Basin, Proceedings of 1th International Yellow River Basin Forum on River Basin Management, Zhengzhou, China. Web. 11 December 2014. Xi, J, ‘Water Resources in the Yellow River Basin. Zhengzhou: Yellow River Press, 1996. Print. Xu, Zhigang, Jinxia Wang, Jikun Huang and Scott Rozelle, Empirical Research in the Irrigation Districts of the Yellow River Basin, China Agricultural Economic Review, 2004. (4): 415-426. Zhang XC ‘The Change Characteristics of Runoff in the Loess Hilly and Gully Region.’ Beijing: China Water Power Press, 2007. Print. Zhang, Z.; & Shangshi, D. ‘The Development of Irrigation in China. Water International,’ The China Quarterly, 1987. 12:46-52. Zhu, Zhongping, et al. "Yellow River Basin Water Accounting." n.d. International Water Management Institute. Web. 11 December 2014. Annotated bibliography Chen JN, Wang YZ, and Xu JH ‘The Influences of Soil and Water Conservation on the Water Resource and Sediment in the Loess Plateau.’ Zhengzhou: Yellow River Conservancy Press, 2004, Print. This book talks about the impact of soil erosion on the Yellow river and the challenges of water conservation. Chen LY, Liu SM, Xiao JF, et al. (1999) The Change of Hydrology and Sediment in the Sanmenxia Reservoir. Zhengzhou: Yellow River Conservancy Press. Gale, Fred. "China’s Food and Agriculture: Issues for the 21st Century ." April 2002. Economic Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture. Agriculture Information. Web. 11 December 2014. The article discusses the important of water resources in support of agricultural products. The author argue that to successful manage agricultural sector in china it is vital to cater for water basin such as the Yellow River basin. Gassert, Francis, et al. "Yellow River basin Study ." January 2013. World Resources Institutes. Web. 11 December 2014. The article consists of a research of the management of Yellow River and other water bodies. Moreover, the article provide analysis and recommendation of the results of the findings. Giordano, Mark, et al. Water Mangement in the Yellow River basin: Background, Current Critical Issues and Future Research Need. Research Report. Yellow River Basin: Comprehensive Assessment Secretaria, 2004. Web. The report discusses the management of the waters of Yellow River. The authors argues that the utilization of the water is inconsistence with the required standard and the management is at risk of losing an important water resources in China. Huang, Qiuqiong, ‘Irrigation, Agricultural Performance and Poverty Reduction in China, Food Policy, 2006. 31, pp: 32-52. This article talks about the significance of Irrigation in China and how it has contributed to poverty reduction. It details the main rivers from which water for irrigation is drawn including Yellow river. Jahiel, A. R. ‘The Organization of Environmental Protection in China. The China Quarterly,’ 1998. 156:757-787. This article describes the efforts that have been taken to protect the environmental resources with keen interest in Yellow river. In particular, it explains the measures being taken to reduce further decline of the Yellow River’s volume. Jiao EZ ‘The Reservoir’s Sediment in the Yellow River. Zhengzhou: Yellow River Conservancy Press, 2004. Print. This is an exciting book that describes the sedimentation process that occurs in Yellow River. It gives the approximate amount silt deposited annually and the impact of the same on Yellow river volume. Julien P.Y. River Mechanics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002. Print This book describes the different river processes including runoff and sedimentation. It explains how these processes occur and their significance in determining the river course. Li HA Present situation, water-saving potential and approach of Yellow River water irrigation district. China Rural Water and Hydropower. 2003, 4: 13–15 This article analyses the present water situation of the Yellow river. It gives an indication of the amount of water present and a forecast of the same in the near future. Liu Q, Yang ZF, and Cui BS ‘Spatial and temporal variability of annual precipitation during 1961–2006 in Yellow River Basin, China. Journal of Hydrology, 2003. 361: 330–338. Needham, J. 1956. Human Law and the Laws of Nature in China and the West. In Science and Civilization in China, volume 2. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 518-583. This article focuses on the impact of industrialization of China on the environment. It explains how the industries have affected the environment without regard of the set laws. Nickum, J. ‘Is China Living on the Water Margin?’ The China Quarterly, 1998. 156: 881-898. An exciting article which tries to estimate and compare China’s underground and surface water. Shi H, Shao MA ‘Soil and water loss from the Loess Plateau in China. Journal of Arid Environments, 2003. 45: 9–20 This article dwells on the effects of erosion process of water. In particular, it focuses on the impacts of soil erosion on the Loess plateau whose soil is highly erodible. Wang, Jinxia, Jikun Huang and Qing Xiang, ‘Challenges and Considerations of Water Crisis in China, 2000, Xinhua Digest, No. 9 This article magnifies the problems that have occurred in China following water shortages. It also highlights the measures being taken by the government to avert the looming crisis. Wang, Jinxia, Zhigang Xu, Jikun Huang and Scott Rozelle. Water Management Reform and Impacts: Case Study in the Yellow River Basin, Proceedings of 1th International Yellow River Basin Forum on River Basin Management, Zhengzhou, China. Web. 11 December 2014. The case study focuses on the reform needed to transform the usage of the Yellow River by the community adjacent and also for those that rely on the reservoir. Wang, Jinxia. Groundwater Depletion, Implications of Land and Water Degradation of Food Security, Edited by Sithara S.Jinendradasa, Published by International Water Management Institute, Columbo, Sri Lanka: 2002. 8-9. The article argues of the important of preventing water depletion. This is so because better water management help in ensuring that society is food secure when used in the correct way. Wang, Jinxia, Jikun Huang, Lijuan Zhang and Scott Rozelle, ‘Why is China’s Blue Revolution so “Blue”? The Determinants of Conservation Tillage in China,’ Journal of Soil and Water Conservation, March/April 2010, 65, (2): 113-129. Xi J ‘Water Resources in the Yellow River Basin. Zhengzhou: Yellow River Press, 1996. Print. This book gives detailed description of the Yellow River together with its tributaries. It also gives a description on the different resources available in the river. Xu, Zhigang, Jinxia Wang, Jikun Huang and Scott Rozelle, Empirical Research in the Irrigation Districts of the Yellow River Basin, China Agricultural Economic Review, 2004. (4): 415-426 This article talks about the irrigation schemes developed along the Yellow river and the benefits people have got from the schemes. Zhang XC ‘The Change Characteristics of Runoff in the Loess Hilly and Gully Region.’ Beijing: China Water Power Press, 2007. Print. This book offers a detailed description of the Yellow River with regards to its different reaches and associated runoffs. It also describes the Loess plateau and the different physical features found in that area. Zhang, Z.; & Shangshi, D. ‘The Development of Irrigation in China. Water International,’ The China Quarterly, 1987. 12:46-52. This article focuses on the development of irrigation in China and how the contribution of the Yellow River in terms of water supply. Zhang XC ‘The Change Characteristics of Runoff in the Loess Hilly and Gully Region.’ Beijing: China Water Power Press, 2007. Print. This book offers a detailed description of the Yellow River with regards to its different reaches and associated runoffs. It also describes the Loess plateau and the different physical features found in that area. Zhu, Z.; Giordano, M.; Cai, X.; Molden, D. The Yellow River Basin: Water Accounting, Water Accounts and Current Issues. Water International, 2004.29: 2-10 This article describes the Yellow River basin and gives the estimation of the amount of water of the river. It focuses on the upper reach, middle reach and the lower reach. Zhu, Zhongping, et al. "Yellow River Basin Water Accounting." n.d. International Water Management Institute. Web. 11 December 2014. The article provides the essential of water management. It focuses on the usage of the Yellow River and the effects of human planning. Read More