Twenty-one floating bridges in the Jinan section of Yellow River were removed by order on Sunday to ensure the smooth passage of water from upstream reservoirs, the Xinhua News reports.

Workers remove the Luokou floating bridge over Yellow River in Jinan, east China's Shandong Province on June 22. [Photo: Xinhua]

China began a fresh round of sand washing in the Yellow River on Thursday. The on-going operation, the seventh since this technique was first used in 2002, works by discharging water from three reservoirs -- Wanjiazhai, Sanmenxia and Xiaolangdi -- to clear up the sediment in the river, the country's second-longest waterway. Speeding currents would carry tons of sand into the sea.

The Yellow River has been plagued by an increasing amount of mud and sand. Each year, the river bed rises as silt deposits build up, slowing the water flow in the lower reaches.

Workers remove the Luokou floating bridge over Yellow River in Jinan, east China's Shandong Province on June 22. [Photo: Xinhua]

Workers remove the Luokou floating bridge over Yellow River in Jinan, east China's Shandong Province on June 22. [Photo: Xinhua]

(CRI June 23, 2008)