He explained that the transformation of the Yellow River has been based on the ideology of maintaining a healthy river life with a systemic and holistic management approach. Li said that by allocat-ing and regulating the water supply, benefits have reached over 100 million people and extensive wetlands areas and species biodiversity have been restored.

He added that about 90 million people living in flood-prone areas have also been protected from potentially devastating floods.

Initiated by the central government in 1999, YRCC's integrated management of the Yellow River is based on cooperative efforts of the 11 provinces situated along the 5,464-kilometer-long river, insuring the river's protection and development as one ecological system.

However, despite its management successes, the river is still facing great pressures, according to Li.

"It is estimated that the total water of the Yellow River may decrease by 1.5 billion cubic meters in 2020, from the present 58.1 billion cubic meters at present," he said.

Another problem is pollution caused by industrialization, expanding towns and the use of pesticides in agriculture, according to Li.

"Waste water in the Yellow River has increased every year from 2.2 billion tons in the 1980s to 4.3 billion tons nowadays," he said.

Known as the "cradle of Chinese civilization" by Chinese people, the Yellow River is considered the birthplace of northern Chinese civilization and was once the most prosperous region in China.

"We hope the awareness of maintaining the healthy life of the river can be deep rooted in everybody's heart, regarding the river with life like human beings," Li added.

"In the future, through everybody's efforts, the Yellow River can flow all of the time, without flooding and remaining healthy and clean, with people living harmoniously with nature, with birds flying and flowers blossoming along the river."