China’s Most Important Navigation and Hydropower Power Lifeline: Yangtze River

The Yangtze River is the world’s 6th largest river, based on discharge volume. From its source on the Plateau of Tibet to its mouth on the East China Sea, the river traverses or serves as the border between 10 provinces or regions. More than three-fourths of the river’s course runs through mountains. The Yangtze has eight principal tributaries. The primary objectives are to develop, manage, and maintain the Yangtze River system lifeline. The Yangtze River has some of the world’s largest reservoirs and is a major source of livelihood for millions of people. Many factories and cities discharge their waste, including sewage, industrial waste, fertilizers, and pesticides, into the Yangtze River. Pollutants tend to settle in the reservoirs and contain several meters of heavily contaminated muck. The Yangtze River produces more ocean plastic pollution, by far, than any other river in the world. Pollution levels have risen in the Yangtze and tributary rivers and lakes, soil erosion in the middle and upper basins caused by overgrazing and the overcutting of trees has increased silt loads, and land reclamation has reduced surface areas of lakes and wetlands. This article aims mainly to develop, manage and maintain the lifeline of the Yangtze River watershed. It is a great tool to ensure the long-term management of the Yangtze River and its surroundings. This article provides key information that may prove very useful for future related investigations.