Western Shaanxi province is planning two major reservoirs to quench its thirst.
The province wanted to dam the Yellow River at Hukou and build another reservoir near Xunyi, Shaanxi Water Resources Department vice-director Ma Weidong said recently.
The Gushe reservoir near Hukou is still being studied by State Development Planning Commission experts. But Mr Ma hopes work on the Dongzhuang reservoir near Xunyi can start within five years.
The Gushe reservoir would supply water and electricity to Shaanxi and Shanxi provinces. The central Government would provide most of the funding for the projects.
Mr Ma admitted the hydro-electric scheme would be opposed by experts who feared the Gushe reservoir would choke the Yellow River, which has been running dry in downstream provinces such as Shandong for most of the year.
Critics have warned that the river would become a continental river - one that does not enter the sea - if upstream provinces continued to tap its water resources without restraint. They fear damming the Yellow River would accelerate its demise due to problems such as silting and soil erosion.
But Mr Ma defended the plan, saying modern technology could overcome the problems. He was also confident that industrial development would absorb the project's electricity despite the present power surplus.
