Download Relief, Drainage and Water Availability in China

Relief, Drainage and Water Availability
in China
By Sid, Shaq, Sulei
and Dan
The Land
• East and South of China is low lying fertile land where
most of China’s agriculture takes place and most of it’s
population is.
• West and North of China are mostly basins, such as the
Gobi and Taklamakan basin, and plateaus such as the
Tibetan plateau- the highest tableland on Earth, with
elevation ranging from 2,000m to 4,500m
• The Tibetan Plateau is known for many cascading
waterfalls and lakes- 50% of the major river systems in
China have there source here.
• 9,600,000km^2 of land area; 3rd largest in world.
Continued
• Generally, mountains, plateaus and hills cover
70% of the land, with basins covering 19%
• Flood plains include the Yellow river plain and
the Yangtze plain, with the Yellow River plain
being the largest alluvial plain in east Asia.
• China borders 14 countries and 5 water bodies
such as the Yellow Sea and Korean bay
• Upland basins in the North and Northeast
account for 40% of China’s drainage area
Background
• The most famous valley is the Jiuzhaigou valley, part of
the Min Mountains and at the edge of the Tibetan
Plateau- it covers 720km^2
• Other valleys near the Jiuzhaigou valley include Rize
Valley in the South-West, Zechawa Valley in the SouthEast.
• The Qinling Mountains provide a natural barrier
between North and South China.
• China has 50,000 rivers, the drainage basins of each
being over 100 sq km , and a combined length of
420,000km with 1,500 of these rivers exceeding 1,000
sq km in area of their drainage basin.
10 Biggest Rivers in China
Yangtze River
• Longest river in Asia and 3rd longest in the world, flowing
for 6,300km. Longest in world to flow only in one country.
• Drainage basin- 1,808,500 km2
• Average discharge-30,166 m3/s
• Source- Geladaindong Peak, which is in the Tanggula
Mountains, Qinghai - elevation 5,042m
• Mouth- East China Sea near to Shanghai, and Jiangsu
• Located on the River are 2 dams- The Three Gorges Dam
and Gezhouba Dam
• Drainage density is quite high, averaging 0.36 km stream
length per 500 sq km
Three Gorges Dam
• Creates the largest amount of hydroelectric power of
any dam in the world- 22,250 megawatts
• Built for flood control, irrigation and electricity.
• By reducing electricity needs for China, Three Gorges
Dam has saved 31 million tons of coal per year being
used.
• However 1.24 million people had to move homes due
to flooding caused by the dam.
• Large amounts of animal habitats have also been
destroyed by the building of the dam, whilst pollution
accumulation in the river is also an issue.
• 6th Longest in world- 5,464 km
• Drainage basin- 752,000 km2
• Source- Bayan Har
Mountains with elevation of
4,800 m.
• Mouth- Bohai Sea, Shandong
• The Yellow River is notable for
the large amount of silt it
carries—1.6 billion tons
annually, therefore giving it the
yellow appearance.
• Commission in 2007 found
33.8% of river registering worse
than level 5 against the UN
environment program scale.
Level five is unfit for drinking,
aquaculture, industrial use, or
even agriculture.
Yellow River
Heilong Jiang River (also known as
Amur River)
• 10th Longest River in the world
• Length- 2,824km
• Source is in the hills of Western Manchuria
where the rivers Shilka and Ergune meet, at a
hight of 303m.
• Mouth- located on Strait of Tartary in Russia
• Drainage Basin- 1,855,000 km2
Where are shortages/surpluses?
• Only around 15-20% of
Chinas lands is inhabited
leaving a large majority
free.
• The higher areas in the
south west consist of the
water sources and the
North faces droughts in
comparison to floods that
can occur in the South.
• 80% of the water supply is
in the south.
• Quighai Lake in the North
west is the largest lake in
the country.
Mostly low lying land
where the majority of
the population lives
Rivers running from
higher land to lower
land to finally reach
the sea
Mountainy
areas in the
north west
Example of
drainage basin
in this area
Comparing the previous map to this
Large flat lands, more
inland receive a lot less
water meaning they are
reliant on supply from the
east.
Mountainy areas of
china receive a lot more
water compared to other
places. They are also
close to the sea meaning
more water is received
through water cycle.
2010-11 Droughts
• This impacted eight provinces in the northern
part of the China
• It was the worst drought to hit the country in 60
years, and it affected most of wheat-producing
regions in China.
• The drought caused water shortages for an
estimated 2.31 million people and 2.57 million
livestock.
• Within the eight provinces, 20% of the farmland
and 35% of the entire wheat crop was impacted.
Water Supply- The Issues
• 13% of users in China receive water at an
inadequate pressure
• 60% of China's 661 cities face seasonal water
shortage, and over 100 cities have severe water
constraints.
• Contamination of drinking water from faeces is a
critical health problem in China, as in other
developing countries, that causes serious
illnesses such as diarrhoea and viral hepatitis.
• Currently, China is facing a shortage of water due
to climate and rapid development.
Issues
• China will face a water supply deficit of up to 201 billion
cubic meters in the next two decades if the country does
not adopt proper water-saving technologies and practices.
• Given the drastic growth in industrial and municipal water
use, China's total water demand could reach 818 billion cu
m by 2030, but the supply would stay at only 619 billion cu
m, the report estimates.
• Over 60% of rivers in urban areas are polluted harming
surrounding wildlife. This has lead to the China river crisis.
• Due to the polluted waters over 300 out of the 657 major
cities within China face water shortages.
Water Demand
• Total water withdrawals were estimated at 554
cubic kilometres in 2005, or about 20% of
renewable resources.
• Demand is from:
• 65% agriculture
• 23% industry
• 12% domestic
• In 2006 626,000 square kilometres were irrigated.