On October 16, during a press conference held by the Henan Provincial Government’s Information Office, it was announced that since the implementation of water and sediment regulation efforts in the Yellow River in 2002, over 2.1 billion cubic meters of sediment have been cleared from the downstream riverbed, significantly increasing its flow capacity to approximately 5,000 cubic meters per second.

Following the mid-1980s, the downstream flow of the Yellow River diminished, leading to an imbalanced water-sediment relationship and pronounced sediment accumulation. By 2002, the flow in the main river channel had dropped to just 1,800 cubic meters per second, highlighting an urgent need to enhance flood discharge capacity and address severe flood prevention challenges in the downstream areas.

In late 2001, the Xiaolangdi Reservoir was fully completed, providing crucial infrastructure for the implementation of water and sediment regulation efforts. Starting the following year, the Yellow River Conservancy Commission, under the Ministry of Water Resources, conducted three experimental operations and 26 production operations focused on water and sediment regulation.

Liu Hongwei, the director of the Water and Drought Disaster Prevention Department of the Henan Yellow River Administration, explained that prior to the flood season each year, the water level in the Xiaolangdi Reservoir is lowered to the flood control limit to create storage capacity for incoming waters. During flood events, the reservoir mitigates peak flows, and any water exceeding the flood limit is quickly released to create room for potential subsequent floods. The water and sediment regulation primarily utilizes this volume to establish optimal conditions for sediment transportation, thereby reducing sediment accumulation in both the reservoir and the river channel.

According to the report, as of the pre-flood season in 2024, a total of 2.16 billion cubic meters of sediment has been flushed from the downstream river channel, with the main riverbed deepening by an average of 3.1 meters and flow capacity increased to about 5,000 cubic meters per second. Additionally, the Xiaolangdi Reservoir has discharged 292 million tons of sediment, leading to reduced sediment accumulation and extended sediment trapping capabilities, while also providing essential ecological water resources to the delta region to support wetland protection, restoration, and biodiversity.

During the press conference, it was highlighted that ongoing water and sediment regulation has facilitated the continuous flow of the Yellow River for 25 years and provided a total of 64.3 billion cubic meters of water supply from the main stem of the river in Henan.