Reducing the Vulnerability of Societies to Water Related Risks at the Basin Scale (Proceedings of the third International Symposium on Integrated Water Resources Management, Bochum, Germany, September 2006). IAHS Publ. 317, 2007, 31–38.
Where has the Yellow River water gone?
HONG YANG1 & SHAOFENG JIA2
1 Swiss Federal Institute for Aquatic Science and Technology, Ueberlandstrasse 133, 8600 Duebendorf, Switzerland
2 Institute of Geographical Science and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Datun Road 11, PO Box 100101, Beijing, China
Abstract Since the 1950s, the major gauging stations along the Yellow River have recorded a trend of decline in measured discharges. During the 1990s, the Yellow River once became a seasonal river and sent no water to the sea for several months in a year. This study investigates changes in the water resources availability and water use at different sections of the Yellow River, and in different economic sectors in the basin. The results show a decline in the natural runoff and an increase in the water use during the 1950s and 1990s. The low natural flow and the increase of the water use in the 1990s were important reasons for the seasonal dry up of the river. The study pinpoints the sections where the changes have been substantial and where the major water users have contributed to the changes. Some policy implications regarding the allocation of water resources are addressed.
Key words consumptive water use; river basin water management; runoff; Yellow River