Green embankments help conserve Yellow River

Editor's note:As protection of the planet's flora, fauna and resources becomes increasingly important, China Daily is publishing a series of stories to illustrate the country's commitment to safeguarding the natural world.

Tourists take photos at the First Bend of the Yellow River scenic area in Zoige county, Sichuan province, in June. WANG XI/XINHUA

Living near the meandering watercourse of the Jiaqu, a tributary of the Yellow River, residents in Pema Lhade village in Aba county, Sichuan province, used to suffer a lot during the rainy season.

When the watercourse swelled with rainwater, floods would often erode its earthen banks, leading to substantial breaches. Consequently, the village area would swiftly become a vast expanse of water, hindering residents' ability to transport cattle or milk to the market, villager Tsetanpal said.

However, that scenario has become a thing of the past after a 5-kilometer embankment was built in 2010. What made the embankment special, however, was that it was built without the use of concrete.

Tsetanpal, 39, said he was relieved to finally be rid of the havoc caused by flooding.

As the country forges ahead with ecological protection and high-quality development in the Yellow River Basin, the "ecological embankment" built in Pema Lhade stands as an example of a series of environmentally friendly approaches governments have used to help conserve the mother river of the Chinese nation.

The country's central leadership has attached great importance to the conservation of the Yellow River.

President Xi Jinping has chaired three symposiums on the ecological protection and high-quality development of the Yellow River, with the first one taking place in Zhengzhou, capital of Henan province, on Sept 18, 2019. Wednesday marked its five-year anniversary.

"The protection of the Yellow River is critical to the great rejuvenation and sustainable development of the Chinese nation," Xi said, adding that it is a major national strategy.

In another symposium in Shandong provincial capital Jinan in 2021, Xi stressed that provincial-level regions along the Yellow River should stick to putting the environment first and being committed to green development.

In the third such meeting, which was held on Thursday in Gansu provincial capital Lanzhou, Xi called for implementing the strictest system for water resources protection and utilization.

It is important to promote a comprehensive green transformation of the development mode in the basin and to build a modern industrial system with distinctive advantages, the president said.