14. Water Resource Allocation and Regulation in Yellow River Basin

This chapter introduces water resource allocation and regulation in the Yellow River Basin. The water resources, problems, and their evolution in the river basin are presented. The water resource allocation and changes to the basin plan are analyzed. The water resource regulations at different levels are discussed. At the same time, the water trade, from agricultural savings to industry in the middle reach of the basin, is investigated. The water resource allocation and regulation in the Yellow River Basin is the first modern and most important case of a water rights system in water resources management in China. The allocation target in the Yellow River has changed several times to improve management, from runoff to both surface and groundwater resources, from mainstream to all river basin, and from usage to consumption. At the same time, there have been several technical and managerial linkage issues in the implementation.