Rivers : Yangtze River Flashcards
Location :
The river runs across the central region of China.
Source : 5000m above sea level in the mountains in the Tibet region ( Himalaya mountain ranges )
Mouth : Shanghai, East China sea
Flooding basic information :
- Date of floods : early May - September 2010.
Even before this, the Yangtze river had flooded central + eastern China often. The most recent major flood events were in 1988 and 2010. - Location : flooded in the lower course, below the Three Gorges Dam.
- Areas affected by floods : Guizhou, Jiangxi, Fujian + Sichuan province
Causes :
heavy rainfall in mountains
Rainfall in many parts of China was much heavier than usual in 2010. Heaviest rainfall was in mountainous areas of Sichuan, Hunan, and near Jiangxi. ( > 500mm / month ).
Caused local rivers in Sichuan, Shanxi + Hunan to rise and overflow.
Long periods of rain causes the soil to become saturated + surface runoff increases. Water in local rivers then flows into the Yangtze river too quickly → flooding.
China entered the peak tropical storm season, and two storms landed in Southern China in July, causing more damage + loss of life.
Causes :
loss of water storage space i.e. lakes
Lakes can store a lot of rainwater and reduce the chance of water flowing onto the land.
Many of the lakes in the central provinces in China had been drained of all water and turned into farmland during the 20th century. Population growth had increased the demand for food and therefore more farmland was necessary.
During the heavy rains of 2010, there was less space to store water and more water traveled directly to the river.
Causes :
deforestation
Large areas of trees / forest had been cut down to provide wood for building, agriculture, and to build housing. Trees are chopped down to clear space for living space, and the land is converted into urbanised areas. Wood is a valuable resource : it is used for production + manufacturing of many products.
During the heavy rains in 2010, there were less trees to intercept rainfall and less tree roots to absorb water from soil.
There was more surface runoff which added water into the river quickly,
As there were less tree roots binding the soil together, this created landslides as the top of the soil became loose.
Causes :
urbanisation
China has a very large population, and a very high rural-urban migration rate. In 2016 alone, 281 million people migrated from the rural countryside into cities. This forced cities to increase in size, and spread out further and further.
Cities such as Wuhan have grown in size and replaced permeable soil with impermeable roads / concrete.
Increased roads and cities on the land either side of the Yangtze has meant less infiltration + more surface runoff. This means there is an increased amount of water entering the river faster. Cities have drains, which carry water straight into the river.
Social consequences :
transport, schools, health
Transport services. Rainfall caused a train to come off the tracks in Jiangxi, killing at least 19 people. Railways closed down ( e.g. Shanghai - Kunming railway ) due to flood damage and dangers.
Schools. Flood damage closed down schools, and teachers and students had to stay at home until schools were rebuilt.
Health. Hospitals became overcrowded, increasing pressure on doctors. People became sick as flood water contaminated the water supply. Millions of people lacked drinking water.
Social consequences :
food, housing
Food. More than 97,200 sqkm of crops were destroyed, and 2.9 million acres of farmland were completely destroyed. Impacted the food supply, meaning prices of foods increased and many did not have sufficient food. Less food exports.
China’s rice output fell by 15% due to torrential rains, flooding, and the outbreaks of pests and diseases in the Yangtze River basin.
Housing. 15.2 million people had to be evacuated, and a total of 1.36 million houses were destroyed.
Economic consequences :
Economic loss. The total cost of the damage was 20.88 billion USD, and the Chinese government had to spend over 2.1 billion yuan for rescue work.
Agriculture. Farmland was destroyed, farmers lost crops, and machinery was ruined. Farmers could sell less, and therefore economic income went down. Less crops available to export, and therefore overall export money reduced.
Factories. Closed down due to flood damage. Factory workers without work, and production decreased therefore less income for business / less tax for the government. Shops and offices were destroyed by flood water.
Opportunities :
trade + transport
- Port towns along the river, allowed for transport of products to the sea and then allowed them to be exported internationally.
- 5 large port downs have developed along the Yangtze river such as Wuhan.
- This provides jobs in ports, factories and navigation on container ships.
- This has allowed cities in central China to develop and grow their economy
Opportunities :
tourism
River cruises take tourists to famous gorges, and the three gorges dam ( following Yangtze river )
This brings in money to towns along the river. Provides jobs on boats and jobs for locals as tour guides. This has helped towns in central/eastern provinces develop ( e.g. hotels, restaurants and museums have opened )
Over 2 million tourists visited the three gorges dam in 2015. This brought tourists to the nearest city ( Yichang ) and added nearly 3.5 billion USD to the local economy.
Opportunities :
hydroelectric power
- The Three Gorges Dam has been the world’s largest power station since 2012.
- Produces enough electric power for 60 million Chinese people.
- Helps provide power to factories and businesses.
- Helped local areas develop their economy.
Opportunities :
water + food source
- Water supplies are necessary for domestic use ( cooking, drinking, washing, and cleaning )
- Water is needed to irrigate land and farming.
- Fish is a good food supply ( protein source ), and provides jobs for fishermen. Home to many fisheries.
Opportunities :
fertile land for farming
- Over many years of flooding, the Yangtze has deposited fertile alluvium on the land next to the river ( floodplains )
- This has made the land very fertile and good for farming.
- Provides jobs, incomes, and a stable food supply.
- Those can be exported for a better income, ( e.g. 5 major exports are cotton, $15 billion, tea, $1.5 billion, rice, $378.8 million, potatoes, soybeans )
