Chinese President on Yellow River's Disaster Control, Development Issues 　　Chinese President Jiang Zemin has called for unremitting efforts to control flooding on the Yellow River, better use its water resources and create a good ecological environment along its entire valley. 　　Finishing an eight-day study tour yesterday at this city in east China's Shandong Province, where the Yellow River runs into the Bohai Sea, Jiang described the harnessing and development of the river as "a major issue of great strategic significance for the benefit of the entire Chinese nation." 　　Zigzagging across the northern area of China, the 5,464-km-long Yellow River is the second-largest river in China, after the Yangtze. 　　Accompanied by Vice-Premier Wen Jiabao, leading officials from Shaanxi, Shanxi, Henan and Shandong provinces and high-ranking military officers, the president not only inspected hydrological stations, and construction sites to reinforce dykes and hydropower stations, but also visited local families, cities and oilfields along the middle and lower reaches of the river. 　　This is the sixth study tour made by Jiang to Yellow River areas in the past 10 years. 　　At the Huayuankou Hydrological Station near Zhengzhou, capital of Henan Province, Jiang asked experts to promptly provide accurate hydrometric data as reference for policy-making and flood-control efforts. 　　While inspecting construction work to reinforce the dykes in Henan and an anti-flood exercise by local civilians and soldiers in Shandong, Jiang repeatedly urged the locals to keep highly vigilant against possible serious floods this year, asking them to ensure the safety of the dykes and the local people. 　　New China has kept the river, which historically was notorious for catastrophic floods, harnessed since its founding in 1949, mainly through building dykes and water conservancy facilities. 　　A dozen large hydropower stations with a total generating capacity of 9 million kw have been built or are under construction. A total of 7.3 million ha of farmland along the river are now irrigated thanks to the water conservation facilities. 　　Jiang made stops respectively at two major water-control projects at Sanmenxia and Xiaolangdi, and an irrigation facility along the lower reaches of the river, where he emphasized combining water control, rational use of water resources and improvement of the ecological environment to seek a coordinated development of the economy, population, resources and environment. 　　Worrying about severe soil erosion which constantly carries sand into the river, Jiang called for unceasing afforestation efforts and other ecological projects. 　　"Practical and effective measures should be taken to tackle the water shortage problem, since it is becoming more and more critical to the economic and social development of the areas along the river," Jiang said in Henan. He stressed placing equal importance on tapping water resources, avoiding waste of water and curbing water pollution.(Xinhua) 6月24日，江泽民总书记在山东黄河尾闾考察。 新华社记者 齐铁砚摄 这是6月19日，江泽民总书记在小浪底水利枢纽工程视察时， 和工程人员亲切交谈。 新华社记者 齐铁砚摄 这是6月21日，江泽民总书记在柳园口乡和尚庄与78岁的李 金凤亲切交谈。李金凤曾多次参加黄河抢险。 新华社记者 齐铁砚摄 HomeNews 1999-06-25 Page1 Full Story in Chinese