This Action Plan for Ecological Protection and Control of the Yellow River is developed to implement the major national strategy of ecological protection and high-quality development in the Yellow River basin. The Objective of the Plan is: Through tackling key problems, the quality and stability of the ecosystem in the Yellow River basin will be steadily improved, the quality of the water environment will be continuously improved, the level of pollution control will be significantly improved, the ecological environment risks will be effectively controlled.
Focusing on major projects, policy innovation and pilot demonstration, the Plan seeks to promote the steady and high-quality development of the basin economy. Specific objectives of the Plan include: by 2025, the forest coverage rate of the Yellow River basin will reach 21.58%, the water and soil conservation rate will reach 67.74%, 10.5 million mu of degraded natural forest will be restored, 1.36 million hectares of sandy land will be comprehensively treated, the proportion of surface water reaching or superior to Class III water body will reach 81.9%, the surface water inferior to Class V water body will be basically eliminated, and the water quality in the upper and middle reaches of the main stream of the Yellow River (above Huayuankou) will reach Class II, the water quality of at least 90% of centralized drinking water sources at county-level and above shall reach or be superior to Class III.
To achieve the objectives, key tasks are proposed in the Plan. 1. River and lake ecological protection and control actions include: promote the protection of the ecological environment of rivers and lakes, speed up the elimination of polluted water bodies to meet the standards, ensure the ecological flow, promote the investigation and rectification of sewage outlets into rivers, strengthen the standardization of drinking water sources, strengthen the prevention and control of groundwater pollution, and strictly control environmental risks. 2. Synergistic actions of reducing pollution include: strengthen the management and control of the ecological environment in different areas, accelerate the cleaner production and pollution control of industrial enterprises, strengthen the coordinated control of solid waste and pollution prevention, and promote the resource utilization of sewage. 3. Actions to improve urban environmental governance facilities include: improve urban sewage collection networks, strengthen sewage and sludge treatment, and comprehensively improve urban black and odorous water bodies. 4. Agricultural and rural environmental governance actions: strengthen the prevention and control of agricultural non-point source pollution, strengthen the prevention and control of aquaculture pollution, speed up the improvement of rural human settlements, and promote the safe use of agricultural land. 5. Actions for ecological protection and restoration include: maintain the upstream water conservation function, strengthen the control of water and soil loss in the middle reaches, strengthen the comprehensive control, protection and restoration of the downstream, strengthen the protection of biodiversity.