Liu Jiayi, Party secretary of Shandong, made an inspection tour of the Yellow River basin from June 15 to 18 in bid to boost ecological environment amid the pursuit of high-quality development in this area.

Liu Jiayi, Party secretary of Shandong, talks during an inspection tour of the Yellow River basin from June 15 to 18. [Photo/dzwww.com]

Starting from Dongming county, Heze city, where the Yellow River enters Shandong, Liu visited Jining, Tai'an, Liaocheng, Dezhou, Jinan, Zibo, Binzhou and other cities along the Yellow River dyke before arriving in Dongying, where the river joins the sea.

During the tour, Liu said that local governments should give priority to the protection and restoration of the ecological environment of the Yellow River, improve the vegetation coverage along the Yellow River and both banks of the embankment, and strengthen pollution control of the Yellow River basin.

An ecological and cultural tourism belt along the Yellow River will also be built to create a more beautiful natural environment and bring more benefits to the public, he added.

Liu also urged local authorities to improve the capacity of rivers, lakes and large reservoirs to prevent floods, provide water resources and develop water-saving irrigated agriculture.

Known as China's "Mother River", the 5,464-kilometer waterway is the cradle of Chinese civilization. The river feeds about 12 percent of China's population, irrigates about 15 percent of arable land, supports 14 percent of national GDP, and supplies water to more than 60 cities.

China has set the ecological protection and high-quality development of the Yellow River basin as a major national strategy.