Underwater photography on the banks of the Yellow River

The Yellow River flows mightily to the sea from west to east. For thousands of years, countless people with lofty ideals have recited poems for him. Among them, the most popular poem was written by Li Bai, a famous poet in the Tang Dynasty: "How can the water of the Yellow River move out of heaven and enter the ocean, and never return?" Praise the Yellow River for falling from the sky and never looking back to the ocean.

When people mention the Yellow River, they will think that the Yellow River is our "mother river", the "birthplace" of Chinese civilization and the "source of life" on which Chinese descendants depend for generations. In recent years, the Yellow River, as a tourist attraction, has attracted countless people to visit and appreciate its majestic momentum. Every Chinese son and daughter, as long as there is an opportunity, will go to the Yellow River to see the beautiful scenery of the mother river.

China people's "mother river"-the Yellow River, why has it been muddy? The Yellow River originates in Qinghai, China, and flows through nine regions, with a total length of 5,464 kilometers. At present, the source of the Yellow River is Kariqu in Qinghai Province, which is officially recognized as the most accurate "source". The Yellow River, as its name implies, is yellow, because it is mixed with a lot of sediment, which makes the color of the Yellow River appear turbid yellow. Standing on the bank of the Yellow River, muddy yellow water hits the bank, generating many white waves, just like a white pony running in the desert.

Different from other rivers, there is no fence on the bank of the Yellow River, and the surrounding ground is slippery, so it is safe to keep a certain distance from the shore to prevent it from falling into the river. Some thrill-seeking photographers risked their lives to photograph the surging waves on the shore to capture the majestic momentum of the Yellow River. A wave of water came, and the waves washed ashore and licked the photographer's trouser legs.

From primary school, we can appreciate the beauty of the Yellow River in textbooks, and we also know that there is a lot of sediment in the water flow of the Yellow River. So far, there is no more effective way to remove the sediment in the water except planting trees and grass on the shore to expand the green area. Nowadays, people seem to be used to this turbid water flow. If it becomes clear one day, they may feel unaccustomed.

There is a proverb about the Yellow River near the Yellow River basin: a bowl of water, half a bowl of sand. It is an exaggeration to say that there is much sediment in the Yellow River. Even foreign media who always like to "attack" China's environment on trumped-up charges acquiesce in the sediment of the Yellow River, as if its name determines its turbidity.

Where does the sediment "accumulated" in the Yellow River come from? Almost 90% of the sediment in the Yellow River comes from the high loess slope. According to scientists' statistics, there are nearly 35 kilograms of sediment in the Yellow River water of 1 m3, and the sediment content is very rich. The loess high slope is located on the loess plateau, and the gravel on it is mainly loose sand, which is very unfavorable for adhesion, so it will easily fall into the river when it is washed by the Yellow River. Therefore, vegetation coverage is mainly carried out on high loess slopes.

There is abundant rainfall in summer, and a lot of sediment is washed into the river by rain, which makes the Yellow River water look more yellow. Although this yellow looks like the color of a polluted river, the water is not dirty. There are 100 kinds of shrimp and fish living in the Yellow River. In recent years, due to effective treatment, the Yellow River water has become clear, but it still cannot stop the upward trend of the Yellow River bed.

Why hasn't the country treated the Yellow River sediment problem? More and more soil is flowing down the river. With the passage of time, the downstream area of the river is getting higher and higher. In that case, why doesn't the state care? Because this is not a small project, many factors need to be considered. There are too many deposits accumulated in history, and it is far from a city to solve these problems.