Since the Inner Mongolia section of the Yellow River has frozen for the first time on December 15th, the frozen section of the river has expanded in a rapid manner. At present, frozen sections in the upper reach have reached 628 kilometers, 53 kilometers in the middle reach and 7.2 kilometers in the lower reach. In spite of the above frozen situations, the river remains safe without occurrence of major dangers.

On December 18th, authorized by Mr. Li Guoying, Minister of Water Resources, Mr. Liu Weiping, Vice Minister of Water Resources, led a team to the Shandong section of the Yellow River, to guide and supervise local authorities in the spheres of ice-jam flooding monitoring, engineering scheduling, embankment inspection and other prevention measures. Yellow River Conservancy Commission and water departments of relevant provinces have undertaken various prevention activities. Firstly, endeavors were made in closely monitoring weather conditions and strengthening ice-jam flooding monitoring and forecasting. Secondly, efforts were spared in carrying out joint operation of reservoir groups and controlling the outflow of Liujiaxia, Haibowan, Wanjiazhai and Xiaolangdi reservoirs. Thirdly, local authorities were ordered to remove floating bridges hindering flood discharge, enhance embankment patrolling, arrange emergency materials and equipment in advance, and prepare for resident relocation in the floodplain area.

Currently, the Yellow River is still in a critical ice-jam flooding season, and Ministry of Water Resources will try every effort in ice-jam flooding prevention, so as to ensure safety during the frozen period.