Asian Waters–China’s Remote And Vital Tarim River.

Water in the Wuxing or Five Element theory of traditional Chinese medicine and is associated with winter, stillness and storage and the direction north. Life cannot easily exist without the other four elements, earth, wood, fire and metal, but for humans, water is life.

This is true all over our planet, in every region and clime, but especially in the arid regions of the world such as China’s Xinjiang. The largest desert in the PRC, the Taklimakan Samo, is just such an arid region. Life on the edge of this vast empty space is made possible by the waters of the Tarim River, China’s longest inland river. What life there is between the Tienshan Mountains and the desert is made possible by the Tarim River. The Tarim was once fed by countless sources, but is now gets its water from the Kotan, Yarkand, and Aksu Rivers.

The Tarim flows 1300km across Xinjing’s Uyghur Autonomous Region to LakeTaitema. The river does not just make human life possible in the region, but it also is the prime mover for agriculture. And in Xinjiang, agriculture means cotton. This is one of the world’s largest cotton production regions, and while cotton has contributed to the eoconomy of the region, it has also come at a cost.

Agriculture accounts for 95% of the Tarim River’s water use, and agriculture, together with natural evaporation due to the arid climate and added population density, has put the river under stress. Over the last decade measures have been taken to alleviate this stress and to improve the river’s ability to provide for life and for agriculture.

During this decade there have been two World Bank river-related projects completed. The Chinese government itself has also taken effective measures to increase the efficiency of water use and implement water saving measures. The government has both encouraged private investment and established local-level water management authorities.

Protecting and managing the Tarim River is vital to the livelihood and well being of the people of the region and to the ecosystem itself. Its continuance will mean a bright future for all touched by this precious source of life in the desert.

Map of Tarim Basin Wikipedia

Excellent article on Tarim River by Feng Hu, China Water Risk