International, September 25 : Environmental protection and high-quality development of the Yellow River Basin constitute a major national development strategy for China. President Xi Jinping has said that long-term planning must be carried out while continuing current work; a long-term plan should be properly formulated and implemented, with sustained efforts from one generation to the next, so that the Yellow River can bring benefits to the people.

At present, every province and region along the Yellow River is making proper use of water resources according to water availability, transforming ecological benefits into benefits for development and people’s prosperity, while ordinary people are sharing the fruits of Yellow River conservation and management.

In autumn, the crab-catching season has begun in Dongying City of Shandong Province, at the mouth of the Yellow River. The area was once characterized by vast saline-alkali tidal flats. Now, local residents channel water from the Yellow River into ponds to create water suitable for farming, thereby establishing an environment conducive to crab cultivation. This year, crab production across the city is expected to reach more than 90,000 tonnes, with an output value exceeding 1.2 billion yuan.

Looking across the entire Yellow River Basin, the water of the Yellow River has not only supported industries such as crab farming that increase people’s incomes, but has also irrigated millions of hectares of fertile farmland along its banks and supported industrial development in areas adjacent to the river.

However, this great river does not have an abundance of water. The Yellow River’s water resources account for only 2 percent of the total flow of all rivers in China. Yet the river must meet the water needs of 12 percent of the country’s population, 17 percent of its farmland and more than 50 large and medium-sized cities.

On the issue, Xi Jinping stressed that the amount of water in the Yellow River is limited; water is needed for ecological conservation, as well as for economic development, food and daily life. Water resources must not be regarded as an unlimited supply. He further said that the development of populations, cities and industries should be planned rationally in consideration of the availability of water resources.

Wang Zai`an Hua, Director-General of the China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, said that Xi Jinping has provided guidance for the high-quality development of the Yellow River Basin. The core principle, he said, is to proceed in accordance with the availability of water.

The mother river has taken on a new vitality, and the lives of people along both banks have also become more prosperous. In Xin’an County of Luoyang City, Henan Province, a more than 160-kilometer-long tourism highway called “Yellow River Ancient Capital No. 1” connects 66 villages. It has transformed once remote and isolated small mountain villages into picturesque tourism destinations along the Yellow River. More than 50,000 people have gained a “golden bowl” through eco-tourism.

Chen Qiufen, a resident of Wang Village in Xin’an County, said that many people who previously left their hometowns to seek work elsewhere have returned to their villages. Some have opened homestays, while others have established rural food and entertainment centers. “We are earning money through tourism in our own village. The Yellow River is our river of happiness and our river of prosperity,” she said.

Source: Akash, Foysal, Shishir, China Media Group.