Largest river to dry up
- Who
- Huang He (Yellow River)
- What
- 5460 kilometre(s)
- Where
- China
- When
- 16 March 2006
Largest river to dry up
The Yellow River (Huang He) is China's second-longest river and one of the great rivers of the world. Over the centuries it has been referred to as `China's Sorrow' because of the millions of people killed in disastrous seasonal floods, while also suffering from too little water the rest of the time. In 1997 and 1998 the Yellow River ran completely dry along its lower section for over 140 days in each year, leaving farmland parched and threatening the autumn harvest. For several months a year the 5,460-km (3,390-mile) river now dries up in Henan province some 400 km (250 miles) before it reaches the sea. The problem is the result of below average rainfall, increased irrigation and the industrial demands of a growing population.
The Yellow River (Huang He) is China's second-longest river and one of the great rivers of the world. Over the centuries it has been referred to as `China's Sorrow' because of the millions of people killed in disastrous seasonal floods, while also suffering from too little water the rest of the time. In 1997 and 1998 the Yellow River ran completely dry along its lower section for over 140 days in each year, leaving farmland parched and threatening the autumn harvest. For several months a year the 5,460-km (3,390-mile) river now dries up in Henan province some 400 km (250 miles) before it reaches the sea. The problem is the result of below average rainfall, increased irrigation and the industrial demands of a growing population.