Yellow River sand washing a success

After several trials during three consecutive years from 2002 to 2004, the practice of sand washing officially began in 2005, enjoying the victory of seven operations held successfully by theYellow RiverWater Resources Committee.

This year s fresh round worked by discharging water from three reservoirs -- Wanjiazhai, Sanmenxia and Xiaolangdi --to clear up the sediment in the river, the country's second-longest waterway. Speeding currents carried tons of sand into the sea.

The 14-day project enabled the water to flow at a maximum volume of 4,000 cubic meters per second in the section below Xiaolangdi reservoir before it poured into the sea. Meanwhile, the maximum discharging water volume in Xiaolangdi reservoir reached 4,280 cubic meters per second. The bank-full discharge in the major lower reach now rises to 3,810 cubic meters per second from 1,800 cubic meters per second in 2002.

The technique, however, benefited theecological and environmental protection work. Since it was first used in 2002, freshwater flooded into the sea , bringing recovery and reconstruction of theYellow Riverregion s ecosystem a step further.

The Yellow River, China's second longest at5,464 km, flows from Qinghai Province in the northwest through Sichuan, Gansu, Ningxia, Inner Mongolia, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Henan and Shandong before emptying into the Bohai Sea.