Emergency water diversion ends

Beijing (CNS) – The primary sluice gate of the Yellow River located in Liaocheng, Shandong Province was turned off at 8 am on February 6, bringing closure to an emergency diversion of water from the Yellow River to Hebei Province, said a source from the National Headquarters of Flood Control and Drought Resistance (NHFCD).

The diversion of the Yellow River lasted 84 days from November 15, 2011 to February 6, 2012, during which some 418 million cubic meters flowed into Hebei Province.

This water project has satisfied the urban demands of Hengshui City and the needs of neighboring agricultural areas, as well as maintaining the ecology of the Hengshui and Baiyangdian Lakes, says the NHFCD.

Baiyangdian Lake soaked up 96.5 million cubic meters of water and rose by 0.64 meters while extending its surface coverage by 60 square kilometers.

The Baiyangdian, also known as "the kidney of the North China", is an inland fresh water lake and a significant wetland, a rarity on the North China Plain.