- Chinese (Pinyin):
- Huai He, or
- (Wade-Giles romanization):
- Huai Ho
- Also spelled:
- Hwai Ho
Huai River
-
What is the Huai River?
The Huai River is a river in east-central China, located between the Huang He (Yellow River) and the Yangtze River (Chang Jiang). It stretches 660 miles (1,100 km) long and drains 67,000 square miles (174,000 square km). The river runs through the east and southeast of Henan. It is fed by streams from the Funiu, Tongbai, and Dabie mountains, and flows eastward into Hongze Lake in Jiangsu province.
The Huai River basin was the site of China’s first large-scale water-conservation project in 1949. Dams were built on the upper reaches and tributaries to control floodwaters, dikes and canals were constructed, and the Subei Canal was dug to the Yellow Sea.
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Where is the Huai River located in China?
The Huai River is located in east-central China, draining the plain between the Huang He (Yellow River) and the Yangtze River (Chang Jiang). It flows for 660 miles (1,100 km) and drains an area of 67,000 square miles (174,000 square km). The river is fed by many tributaries rising from the Funiu, the Tongbai, and the Dabie mountains. The Huai River flows eastward, discharging into Lake Hongze in Jiangsu province. The regions of densest population are the tributaries and banks of the Huai above Bengbu.
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What are the main cities and provinces along the Huai River?
The Huai River, approximately 660 miles (1,100 km) long, is located in east-central China, draining the plain between the Huang He (Yellow River) and the Yangtze River (Chang Jiang). It is fed by numerous tributaries rising from the Funiu, the Tongbai, and the Dabie mountains. The Huai River flows eastward, emptying into Lake Hongze in Jiangsu province.
The Huai River basin is a densely populated region. The most populous city in Anhui province is Hefei, the capital. Other significant cities and towns include Huainan, Huaibei, Wuhu, Bengbu, Ma’anshan, and Anqing. Six dams were built in the upper reaches of the Huai tributaries in Henan.
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Why is the Huai River important to China?
The Huai River is important to China because it drains the plain between the Huang He (Yellow River) and the Yangtze River. It flows for 660 miles (1,100 km) and drains an area of 67,000 square miles (174,000 square km). The Huai River basin became the site of the first large water-conservancy program initiated by the communist regime. Numerous dams were constructed to control the headwaters and tributaries, and dikes were strengthened to prevent flooding.
The Huai River is also a navigable route for water transport, as small ships can travel above Huainan, and the Subei Canal provides an outlet to the sea. River traffic from the Huai can also access the Grand Canal, which allows passage north to the Huang He and south to the Yangtze River.
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What problems has the Huai River faced, like flooding or pollution?
The Huai River has faced significant environmental challenges, primarily flooding and pollution.
Historically, the Huai River basin has been prone to flooding due to its flat terrain and the complex interaction with the Huang He (Yellow River), which has diverted drainage into the Huai River, causing persistent inundation. In 1938, the dikes of the Huang He were deliberately destroyed near Zhengzhou, resulting in extensive flooding and immense loss of life.
In addition to flooding, the Huai River suffers from water pollution from pesticides and herbicides used in agriculture, as well as industrial and urban waste. The use of fertilizers containing phosphates and nitrates contributes to eutrophication, leading to algal blooms and oxygen depletion in the water.
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How have people tried to manage the Huai River and its environmental challenges?
After the 1850s, the Huang He (Yellow River) diverted drainage into the Huai River, causing flooding. In the 1930s, dredging and artificial channels with flood barrages were implemented from Lake Hongze to the sea.
After World War II, dikes were repaired, and the Huang He returned to its course. In 1951, a comprehensive water-conservancy project began, which reconstructed the Subei Canal and created an alternative outlet to the sea. The repair and improvement of the Grand Canal also improved drainage. From the early 1980s, the Huai became navigable by small ships, and river traffic could access the Grand Canal for routes to the Huang He and Yangtze River.
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Huai River, river in east-central China that drains the plain between the Huang He (Yellow River) and the Yangtze River (Chang Jiang). The river has a length of 660 miles (1,100 km) and drains an area of 67,000 square miles (174,000 square km). It is fed by numerous tributary streams rising in the Funiu, the Tongbai, and the Dabie mountains, which, with their extensions into Anhui province north of the Yangtze, form its southern watershed. The Huai River flows eastward to discharge into Lake Hongze in Jiangsu province. In ancient times this lake was much smaller than at present, and the Huai River flowed from it into the sea roughly on the line of the modern Guan River, south of Lianyungang. The river’s mouth was, however, blocked by silt, and so the water from Lake Hongze drained away through the string of lakes in eastern Jiangsu into the Yangtze near Yangzhou.
In the north a series of tributaries flows northwest to southeast from a low watershed almost on the southern dikes of the Huang He. From time to time the Huang He has flowed through the north of the Huai drainage basin and has discharged into the Huai or even, on occasion, first into the Huai and then into the Yangtze. The drainage of this flat and featureless plain has been a perennial problem, particularly since the 1850s, when the Huang He, which had previously discharged into the sea at Haizhou Bay, again coursed north of the Shandong Peninsula. As a result, much of the drainage into its lower course was diverted into the Huai River, leading to continual flooding.
In the 1930s part of the Huai River system was dredged, and an artificial channel protected by flood barrages was cut from Lake Hongze to the sea. In 1938, during the Sino-Japanese War, the Chinese army, in an attempt to block the Japanese southward advance through the North China Plain, blew up the dikes of the Huang He near Zhengzhou, flooding a vast area in Henan province.
Extensive work to control the Huai took place after World War II. The dikes were repaired, and the Huang He returned to its old course through northern Shandong province. In 1951 work began on a comprehensive water-conservancy project for the Huai basin. The Subei Canal, the outlet canal from Lake Hongze to the sea, was reconstructed, and an alternative outlet to the sea was also completed. At the same time, the repair and improvement of the Grand Canal also improved the drainage of Lake Hongze to the south. In the early 1950s the headwaters of the Huai and its western tributaries in the Funiu and Tongbai mountain ranges were controlled by constructing many large retention dams. In 1957 a second stage of flood control began on the southern tributaries. After 1958 the area south of the Huai was incorporated into a large coordinated irrigation system.
In the late 1960s government attention shifted to work on the New Bian Canal north of the Huai, although development in the south still continued. By the early 1970s the Huai’s northern tributaries had been joined to the New Bian Canal, which provided more effective flood control in the northern Huai plain. From the early 1980s the Huai was navigable by small ships above Huainan, while the Subei Canal provided a navigable outlet to the sea. River traffic from the Huai could also join the Grand Canal, providing a water transport route north to the Huang He and south to the Yangtze River.