More than 80 percent of the reaches of the Haihe River, one of China's three main river valleys, have dried up due to excessive exploitation of water resources, according to sources with the regional water conservancy authority.

The reaches of the Haihe River in north China, cover some 320,000 square km. The river flows through 26 large and medium-sized cities in Hebei and Shandong provinces, including the municipality of Tianjin.

Twelve main sections of wetlands along the river's reaches, which used to cover 3,801 square kilometers, have shrunk to 538 square kilometers over the past five decades, said an official with the Haihe River water conservancy commission under the Ministry of Water Resources

Water resource experts attribute the worrisome environmental changes to overuse of ground water by a growing population and rapid economic development along the river.

Damming of the river's tributaries were also blamed for reducing water supply from nearby lakes to the wetlands.

Water authorities have tried to replenish the region's water supply but demand continues to exceed supply.

(Xinhua News Agency February 12, 2006)