Leaders Addresses at the Opening Ceremony of the International Yellow River Forum

Mr. Wang Shucheng (Minister of the Ministry of Water Resources, China)

Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen:

During the harvest season with breeze and fragrance, we hold the second International Yellow River Forum in Zhengzhou, a city at the bank of the Yellow River. On behalf of Ministry of Water Resources, I deliver sincere congratulations to the forum and warm welcome to all honorable guests, experts and friends.

The protection of the river and the harmonious development of the society and the economy is the common task shared by the human race. The forum, with the theme “Keeping healthy life of the river”, will explore hot issues on maintaining the contemporary river development and management, and find out relative solutions. It will play an active role in both maintaining healthy life of the Yellow River and prompting sustainable development and scientific management of rivers in China even the world. The meaning of “Keeping healthy life of the river” is to guarantee the sustainable use of water resources. If the water resource of a river is sustainable, the river is healthy. This requires that the contemporaries should not expand and use water resources at the expense of the existence and utility conditions of later generations. To save and protect water resources and to maintain good relations of the ecology is the most important part of “keeping healthy life of the river”.

The Yellow River is the mother river of Chinese nation, which fosters the nation and nourishes the brilliant Chinese civilization. The land, mineral, especially the energy resources along the Yellow River are abundant, and play a very important role in the development of the national economy. Since the founding of People’s Republic of China, Yellow River development and management has had grand achievements. Especially in recent years，according to the new situations and problems of Yellow River, and the new concept that the human race should be harmonious with rivers, we have carried out plenty of new practice and research with the aim of no breach of embankment, no drying-up of river basin, no excessive river pollution and no rising of river bed. Standard embankment has been built and flood control system has been improved to guarantee the security. The strengthening of integrated water management and water regulation in the river basin has brought no drying-up in consecutive 5 years. The soil and water conservation projects especially the construction of silt trapping dam, has reduced sand and silt; water and sediment regulation flushed the heavy deposited river channel and increased the carrying capacity. All of these play very important roles in keeping healthy life of the river and guaranteeing the development of basin economical society. But we soberly realize that as the most complex and hardest-harnessing river in China, the problems of Yellow River are still far from being solved. Contradictions between water supply and demand get acute; soil erosion goes serious; water pollution has yet to be fundamentally solved; the shrinkage of lower river bed becomes aggravated; flood threats keeps being a serious trouble. Therefore, Yellow River harnessing and management face still arduous challenge.

The Yellow River is the epitome of rivers in China. The problems of Yellow River also exist among other rivers in China. The water problem, such as the shrinkage of water resources, the frequency of flooding, the excess of water pollution and the loss of water and soil, is still one of the serious elements that restricts the development of Chinese economical society.

At present, the Chinese government is making the “Eleventh Five-year plan”. The period from 2006 to 2010 is crucial for the Chinese to construct the well-off society. In order to do the conservancy work well during this period, we should further set up and realize the concept of the scientific development. And according to the requirements of constructing the harmonious society and aims of constructing the well-off society, we should also stick firmly to promoting the sustainable development of water resources, do over-all planning, all-round consideration, treats and symptoms and causes, and comprehensive program of public order, make great efforts to solve the confronted problems of water resources, ensure the safety of grain, water supply, flood control, and ecology, and make sustainable use of water resources to guarantee the sustainable development of economical society.

Ladies and gentlemen, this forum provides a good platform for extensive cooperation of water experts in all over the world. I would every expert focus on the topic of the forum, share individual successful experience on river harnessing and river basin management with us, and contribute to continuous improvement of river management strategy in China, even the world, and to play an active role in building the happy homeland of the human race.

Finally, I would the forum be successful and fruitful and every friend healthy!

Thank you!

 Source:  www.yellowriver.gov.cn   Editor:HuangFeng