According to the reports by responsible organizations of Qinghai Province, Sanjiangyuan (Springhead Areas of Yangtze River, Yellow River and Lancang River), also nicknamed "China's water tower", has become dryer over the last 40 years due to increases in temperature, reduced rainfall and faster evaporation in the area.

In Sanjiangyuan area, the temperature is increasing by 0.25 every ten years compared to an average increase of 0.22 every ten years in Qinghai Province. Meanwhile the yearly rainfall is decreasing 2.81 millimeters per decade while the amount of yearly evaporation is increasing by 5.8 millimeters every ten years.

This tendency to dry out has caused a series of problems in the area, such as fewer glaciers, a fall in the lakes'water level, dramatic decreases in the rivers'discharge etc. The discharge of the Yellow River has been declining significantly since the 1990s. From 1992 to 1997, water shortages have been experienced 69 times in parts of the Yellow River, more significantly there was a water shortage in 1997 which lasted for 226 days. Sanjiangyuan area is the largest and highest natural wetland in China. It is also a nature reserve that accommodates the largest number of biotic species in the world. It provides 49.2% of the Yellow River's total discharge, 25% of the Yangtze River's and 15% of Lancang River's. This is why it is called "China's water tower". As well as this, its geographic environment and climate conditions can have substantial influence on the general circulation of China's air, West Asia and even the northern hemisphere.

By People's Daily Online