Han River water, where did it go?
Why is an inland river a key water diversion target?
Rivers are also divided into rich and poor classes. Although the Amazon River is the "king of traffic", it is not really used for much because of the sparsely populated area through which it flows. On the other hand, the Han River on the mainland, although it ranks seventh among the eight major tributaries of the Yangtze River, has become the main force of the country's key water diversion project. Why is it it?
To explore the reason, we have to start with the unique geographical location of the Han River. The Han River originates in Bashan, Shaanxi, flows into the Jianghan Plain in the east, and flows into the Yangtze River in Wuhan. This inland river, which runs through the north and south, connects the land of Qinba and the Central China Plain, is located in the core of the continental territory, and is closest to the water-scarce north.
A river that is "about to rush" is destined to have a heavy burden on its shoulders. The water resources of the Han River must first meet the water needs of the 49 million residents in the basin. Looking at the value of shipping, north-south rivers are rare, and the Han River, the north-south artery, has been the lifeblood of inland waterway transportation since ancient times.
The most important thing is that the national key water conservancy project will "take food for everyone" on the Han River. Among them, the largest and most far-reaching impact is the world's largest water diversion project, the middle route of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project. Since its opening, more than 70 billion cubic meters of water have been diverted from the Han River, quenching the thirst of 176 million people in more than 40 cities in northern China.
In addition, Shaanxi's Han-Ji-Wei diversion project and Hubei's northern Hubei water diversion project have also seized the Han River, the "source of fertile water," to the death. Despite this, the problem of water shortage in the lower reaches of the Han River has become more and more prominent, and it is jokingly called "the Han River has become a dry river".
So, is the Han River really overburdened? What about its own resource endowment? In the face of the current predicament, how should we imagine the future?
The water quality is top-notch, but not water-rich
The reason why the Han River has become the main force of the country's large-scale water conservancy construction is not only because of its geographical location. As the main river in the windward area of the southern foot of the Qinling Mountains, her water quality has an advantage in terms of talent.
The crystal clear Danjiangkou Reservoir is known as the "Asian Sky Lake". Most of the water sources of the middle route of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project are located in the 32,000 square kilometers of hilly areas in the mountainous areas of southern Shaanxi, such as Hanzhong, Ankang and Shangluo. The dense forest and excellent environment make the water quality of the reservoir pure for a long time.
But things often don't go as planned. Although the Han River has an extraordinary origin, it is not rich in terms of water volume, and even ranks seventh among the tributaries of the Yangtze River. The average annual runoff is only 57.7 billion cubic meters, which is far from the largest Minjiang River system.
This has long meant an embarrassing situation: it is not only responsible for the people's livelihood water of more than a dozen large and medium-sized cities along the river, but also "diverted" by major national projects. In particular, after the opening of the eastern route of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project in 2014, experts predict that the Han River will continue to be short of water.
In order to add full horsepower to the "fertilizer water", as early as 2003, the state has planned two supporting projects: "diversion of the river to the Han River" and "diversion of the river to supplement the Han River". Completed in 2014, the 67-kilometer pipeline project will divert 3.7 billion cubic meters of water from the Jingjiang section of the Yangtze River to the lower reaches of the Han River.
The project will start in 2022 and will divert 3.9 billion cubic meters of water from the Three Gorges Reservoir area in the future, completely improving the water shortage in the middle and lower reaches of the Han River and continuously delivering live water to the source for the South-to-North Water Diversion Project.
Judging from the current situation, the water resources of the Han River are indeed stretched. However, this situation is not without a solution, and it is not that Hanjiang "takes the initiative" to bear the heavy burden. On the contrary, its own high-quality water quality is the fundamental reason why it is regarded as a "life-saving straw" by the state.
Vacate cages for birds, expand the "reservoir"
While the water quality of the Han River is excellent, the water storage capacity of the entire basin pales in comparison. There are only a few large reservoirs on the main stream of the Han River, such as the Danjiang Estuary, with a total storage capacity of about 35 billion cubic meters, which is slightly weaker than the large reservoirs of the Yellow River and the Yangtze River.
The severe lack of reservoir storage capacity has led to frequent flooding in the Han River during the rainy season and dry up in the dry season due to the lack of water. This is also a deep reason why the Han River is often nicknamed the "dry river".
In order to solve this problem once and for all, it is urgent to expand the water storage capacity. As early as the 60s of the last century, the motherland envisaged the construction of an "Ankang Reservoir" in the Ankang Basin in the middle and upper reaches of the Han River, with a storage capacity of more than 100 billion cubic meters, which could centrally regulate the Han River and provide water sources for the south-to-north water diversion project in the middle route.
Although this idea was abandoned due to the constraints of the conditions at that time, it revealed the far-sightedness of the wise men of the motherland who wanted to cure the roots. By constructing super-large reservoirs in appropriate areas, it will not only be possible to concentrate the storage of the Han River water system and support the long-term development of several major water diversion projects, but also to fundamentally improve the problem of flash floods in the Han River basin.
In addition to Ankang, there is similar potential for reservoir construction in other areas in the upper and middle reaches of the Han River. For example, the average annual inflow of the upper reaches of the Han River, including the West Han River, can reach more than 30 billion cubic meters, and if a super-large reservoir is built here for centralized adjustment, it will be enough to fundamentally reverse the current absurd dilemma of "supply exceeds demand".
Of course, no matter what plan is adopted, it may require a lot of financial and material resources, and it will be difficult to implement it in the short term. But at least we know that expanding the "reservoir" and building a huge "reservoir" is the only way to solve the problem fundamentally.
We are all descendants of the "Han Chinese".
People's hearts are flesh and blood, who wants to watch the "family property" be divided by outsiders? But for the residents of the Han River basin, this "unwillingness" is superfluous, if any.
Throughout history, the Han River has not only nurtured the livelihood of 49 million people in the entire basin, but also the birthplace of the entire Han culture. In the entire land of China, the Han nationality, the main body of the Chinese nation, rose from the Han River Valley. Each of us should be grateful to this mother river, who has been silent and selfless to protect the sons and daughters of China.
Salute to --- Han River!