From “Water Storage and Sand Retention” to “Upper Interception and Lower Discharge”: The Historical Evolution of Yellow River Management Strategy During the Period of National Economic Readjustment

Abstract

The period of national economic readjustment from 1961 to 1965 was a critical stage in the transformation of the Yellow River management strategy. In the late 1950s, the “water storage and sand retention” strategy gradually revealed problems in practice, including accelerated reservoir siltation and increasing flood control pressure in the lower reaches. Against this backdrop, the water conservancy sector, in alignment with the central government’s policy of “readjustment, consolidation, filling out, and raising standards”, and based on the laws governing water and sediment movement in the Yellow River and the realities of basin management, promoted a shift in Yellow River management strategy from “water storage and sand retention” to “upper interception and lower discharge.” The “upper interception” component involved constructing control reservoirs in the upper and middle reaches of the Yellow River and advancing soil and water conservation projects to strengthen source-level regulation of floods and sediment. The “lower discharge” component focused on the lower river channel, enhancing the river’s flood discharge and sediment transport capacity through dredging the channel, reinforcing embankments, and consolidating dangerous works. The evolution of this strategy not only effectively alleviated the prominent contradictions in Yellow River management at the time and provided support for basin security and agricultural production recovery during the economic readjustment period, but also accumulated practical experience for subsequent systematic planning of Yellow River management, carrying important historical significance and contemporary relevance.