The irrigation canal
One of the most important agricultural regions
in the upper reaches is the Ningxia Plain,
which is benefited by the river water through gravity-fed irrigation.
Lying along the Silk Road and in prosperity
since ancient time, Ningxia Plain remains to this day
to be the grain silo of China's barren west.
Its heavy demand on the river's limited water supply
may have to be restricted in the future
by imposing a water charge on its big water consumers.
The irrigated plain borders the
Tenggeli Desert on its west.
The top picture shows the alluvial floodplain composing the Ningxia Plain.
The next picture shows the irrigation canals supplying the fields.
More descriptions of the Ningxia Plain.