 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Yellow River Running Dry In Parts
Beijing (AFP) March 11, 2007 Unseasonably warm weather in northern China has led to parts of the Yellow River, the nation's second-longest waterway, drying up, state press reported Sunday. High temperatures this winter, a lack of rain fall in the upper reaches and rising industrial and agricultural water use has resulted in low water levels in the river at Lanzhou city, capital of Gansu province, the China News Service said. "At present a tight shortage of water on the Yellow River is worsening, and water levels in reservoirs in the upper reaches are falling," the report said. Parts of the river that runs through Lanzhou have dried up with sand banks appearing in the middle of the river channel, stranding boats, the Lanzhou Morning Press reported. The low water levels come as the government seeks to control the flow of the river during the ongoing dry season to safeguard water supply for cities and hydro-electric dams in the river's middle reaches, the paper said. Currently the water flow at the Lanzhou monitoring station is about 370 cubic metres (481 cubic yards) per second, which represents the river's lowest flow of the year. During the high water season in May, water flows are over three times as high with an average of about 1,100 cubic metres per second, it said. The 5,460 kilometre (3,380 mile) long river, called China's "Mother River," winds from the Tibetan plateau in northwest China to the Bohai Sea in the east, providing water for some 140 million people. In the mid-1990s, the river repeatedly dried up in the lower reaches, prompting the government to adjust water use and reservoir storage limits along its entire length.
Source: Agence France-Presse Related Links Water, Water Everywhere and Not A Drop To Drink... Water News - Science, Technology and Politics
Scientists Investigate Impact Of Climate Change On Indian Monsoon Season
Liverpool UK (SPX) Mar 09, 2007Scientists at the University of Liverpool are investigating the anticipated effects of climate change on India's monsoon season and the impact that alterations in India's water cycle will have on the country's people, agriculture and wildlife. Changes to India's annual monsoon are expected to result in severe droughts and intense flooding in parts of India. Scientists predict that by the end of the century the country will experience a 3 to 5C temperature increase and a 20% rise in all summer monsoon rainfall. |
|
|
| The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright Space.TV Corporation. AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space.TV Corp on any Web page published or hosted by Space.TV Corp. Privacy Statement |
