Reuters
November 30, 2001

Xinhua said wetlands along north China’s biggest river system have shrunk by more than 80 per cent over the past five decades due to excessive exploitation of the river and damming of its tributaries.

(Excerpt)

Beijing: The wetlands along northern China’s biggest river system are drying up because of the thirst of an expanding population and a fast-growing economy, Xinhua news agency reported on Sunday. Xinhua said 12 main sections of wetlands along the reaches of the Haihe River, which used to cover 3,800 sq km (1,465 sq miles), have shrunk by more than 80 percent over the past five decades to just 538 sq km (207 sq miles). … Xinhua quoted officials with the regional water conservancy authority as blaming the shrinking of the wetlands on excessive exploitation of the Haihe and damming of the river’s tributaries.