(January 5, 2011) The Associated Press says a new government report in China found 62 percent of China’s Yellow River basin area has been seriously impacted by water and soil erosion, making it one of the worst examples of erosion in the world.

A government report has found that 62 percent of China’s Yellow River basin area has been seriously impacted by water and soil erosion, among the worst examples of erosion worldwide.

The study by the Yellow River Conservancy Commission says the affected area covers 180,000 square miles (465,000 square kilometers), the China Daily reported Wednesday.

The Yellow River, which flows 3,395 miles (5,464 kilometers) from western Qinghai province to the Bohai Sea in the east, is the country’s second longest river after the Yangtze.

The report says that careful management strategies by authorities prevented some 350 million to 450 million tons of mud and sand from flowing into the river annually, but better environmental protection measures are still needed.

Measures taken so far included replanting forests and grasslands, building small dams, and other projects, it said.

Nearly 90 percent of the areas in China suffering from the most severe water and soil erosion are in the river basin area, the report said.

The report was released as part of a larger national campaign aimed at raising public awareness about the river’s environmental challenges, the state-run China Daily said.

Economic losses caused by the soil and water erosion accounted for some 3.5 percent of the country’s annual GDP, according to research by the Asian Development Bank, the paper said.

The Associated Press, January 5, 2011