Yellow River (5,464km)
Longest river in China, second longest river in Asia after the Yangtze
Gets its name from the yellow sediment, loess, that its water is filled with
The birthplace of ancient Chinese civilisation
189 million people live in the Yellow River basin alone
Pollution: How & Who Approximately 4.4 billlion tonnes of wastewater flowed into the Yellow River in 2015. Due to the large area that the river flows through, agricultural waste from farms and industrial waste from heavy industries along its course are even harder to eradicate
Effects of Pollution
China’s 2017 State of Ecology and Environment Report reported that 37.4% of the river system water was unusable for agriculture or for drinking. Approximately 30% of fish species have disappeared and the fish catch has declined by 40% due to water toxicity