Yellow River Dries Up Near Lanzhou, Thanks In Part To Unseasonable Warmth - AFP

[hatrack]

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.

EDIT

http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Yellow_River_Running_Dry_In_Parts_999.html

[phantom power]

1. Wow.

It's a good thing that "progress is possible." Otherwise, a doomer like me would be tempted to think that this is some serious shit.