Yellow River in China the Term Paper

Total Length: 2077 words ( 7 double-spaced pages)

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For example, the soil in the Loess Plateau area is notoriously erodable and it is difficult to revegetate the steep slopes with a sufficiently dense cover of plantation and grass. Moreover, rainfall in the area is generally insufficient to support the growth of trees and plants even after their plantation; grazing by animals worsens the situation. Silt retention dams and structures in the silt-carrying gullies and valleys have proven more effective and thousands of dams have been built. As these dams are gradually filled up, the dam heights have to be raised. Such high retention dams, however, are a double-edged sword. Heavy once-in-a-century rains or powerful earthquakes could cause dams to break and initiate catastrophic landslides that would create even bigger floods that would do immense damage. Similarly, the Chinese have managed to control floods in the river by periodically raising the levees and the dykes but the unrelenting silt build-up in the riverbed is continuing and another 100-year return flood like that of 1761 or 1843 could still prove catastrophic. Hence more resources and research are required to be deployed by the Chinese government and the international community to find a more effective engineering solution for the problem of silting.
(Chengrui and Dregne, 15-17)

The use of water from the Yellow River for irrigation and industrial purposes also needs to be controlled as a lot of water is wasted due to out-dated, wasteful practices and under-pricing of water. Better irrigation practices such as lining of canals to prevent seepage, better land leveling, and appropriate water pricing could help in more optimum use of water.

Conclusion

As we saw in this paper, the Yellow River has been a cradle of Chinese civilization, has supported millions of people who have lived alongside it, but has periodically caused an equal amount of sorrow through devastating floods and course changes throughout history. Currently, the river is faced with decreased flows due to overexploitation, pollution from the surrounding industries, and continued silting. Concerted efforts are required on an emergency basis to find a solution to the problems facing the Yellow River.

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