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ZHENGZHOU, Oct. 29 (Xinhua) -- China's Minister of Water Resources Chen Lei applauded the Yellow River management commission at a forum in Zhengzhou, capital of central China's Henan Province, on Saturday.
Yellow River, China's "mother" river, runs 5,464 km across the country from west to east before emptying into the Pacific. The Yellow River Conservation Commission founded in 1946 to manage and protect the river celebrates its 70th anniversary this year.
"We achieved unprecedented feats as the Communist Party of China lead the people in managing the Yellow River. Such efforts are good example for management and protection of large rivers around the world," said Chen.
In the last 70 years, the lower reaches of the Yellow River have withstood 12 great floods, ensuring the safety of over 120,000 square kilometers of buffer zones for flood control and the livelihood of 130 million people.
About 12 percent of China's population live along the river. There are 568 hydropower stations along its main stream and tributaries, according to the commission.
By the end of 2015, a total of 1.1 trillion kilowatt hours of electricity had been generated, saving 390 million tonnes of coals equivalent and a reducing one billion tonnes of carbon emissions.
Over the past 70 years, soil erosion has been harnessed on 210,000 sq km of area thanks to ecological conservation efforts, blocking more than 19 billion tonnes of sand from rushing into the river.
