Chapter 32 Chapter 31
The Pearl River is our "mother river". It feeds hundreds of millions of people in the whole basin, and it irrigates the vast land of the whole basin.We call the river that feeds us the "mother river". The Pearl River deserves it. It is a great "mother".Seeing its endless, selfless and fearless flowing water, listening to its sometimes bell-like roar and sometimes zither-like melody, its people will be extremely excited and reverent.
"Pearl River", do you really understand it?
Maybe many people don't know much about it.
Therefore, we still have to look through its files and talk about its origin.
Pearl River, formerly known as Yuejiang River, is the general name of Xijiang, Beijiang and Dongjiang.The Beijiang River that flows from the Wuling Mountains in the north is also called Zhenshui and Wushui in the upper reaches. It is called the Beijiang River when it confluences in Shaoguan and flows south. It meets the Xijiang River in Sanshui and then flows into the sea. The Dongjiang River originates from Lianhua Mountain at the junction of Guangdong and Jiangxi. It is called Xunniaoshui and Jiuqu River, which enter the sea at Humen.What we call the Pearl River often refers to the section when the Pearl River enters the sea.
The name of the Pearl River is beautiful and poetic. It got its name because there is a reef with an area of acres standing in the river facing the Federation of Trade Unions and Aiqun Building along West Yanjiang Road in Guangzhou, like a pearl in the river. "Called "sea", also known as "sea pearl stone", "sea pearl".This "Sea Pearl Stone" has been recorded since the Southern Song Dynasty. It is said that in the past, someone came back from overseas with a large Jing-inch pearl, which was dazzling. ", the night when the pearl flew into the sea was bright, it became a sandbar.At that time, it was a shallow bay with a wide water surface. When the road was widened in 1931, Haizhu Stone was blown away.Since then, the pearl stone has passed away, but the name will last forever. The "Pearl" of the Pearl River comes from this pearl.
The real mainstream of the Pearl River is the Xijiang River, which originates from the 2,440-meter-high Maxiong Mountain in the Wumeng Mountains of Yunnan.The Xijiang River flows from Yunnan and has a long history. It crosses Wumeng Mountain, Miaoling Mountain, Shiwan Mountain, and Yunkai Mountain, flows through the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, the canyons of Guangxi, and then reaches the Pearl River Delta. The altitude ranges from more than 2,400 meters to 60 meters when it goes out to sea. .The water volume of the Xijiang River is much larger than that of the Beijiang and Dongjiang, and its length is more than 2,000 kilometers, while the Beijiang and Dongjiang are only more than 500 kilometers.Xijiang is the main force of the Pearl River, so people used to call it "Pearl River".But on this road, there has never been a place called "Pearl River" before Sanshui.
In Yunnan, it was called Nanpan River, with high mountains and deep valleys all the way, turbulent water, flying mist, and many dangerous shoals and waterfalls; when it converged with Beipan River in Wangmo Buyi and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Guizhou, it was called Hongshui River, because both sides are red soil, It got its name because the river water turned reddish brown.When it arrived at Yongning in the southeast of Nanning, it was called Yujiang again; when it arrived at Guiping, it joined Qianjiang and changed its name to Xunjiang.Flow, flow, Fengkai, which flows to Guangdong, is officially called Xijiang, so the section of the river called Xijiang is also very short.
The Xijiang River is called the Pearl River after passing through Sanshui Sixianjiao!
This water system, this name, is rich and colorful enough. If you don’t look for a family tree or build a file, it’s really confusing.
The Pearl River, the Yangtze River, the Yellow River, the Huai River, the Hai River, the Songhua River, and the Liao River are collectively known as the Seven Great Rivers of China. The complexity of its water system can also be seen from the change of names.Because it is a big river in the south, the whole basin is in the subtropical zone, from west to east, and from north to south. Although the terrain is steep and towering, the canyons are deep and tortuous, and the western mountainous areas are sparsely populated and inaccessible, there is abundant rainfall, dense vegetation, and huge water volume.The runoff of the Pearl River is seven times that of the Yellow River, second only to the Yangtze River, and ranks as the "second brother" in terms of water volume.In terms of annual water production per square kilometer, it surpasses the Yangtze River and ranks first in the country.
It flows all the way, bringing together the water volume of more than 500 tributaries.
How many trickles of water seeped out between the cliffs and rock walls, and thousands of small streams gathered, merged into streams, tributaries, and finally merged into a vast river.
Of all the rivers, the Pearl River's silt is not comparable to that of the Yellow River, which has a glass of water and half a glass of mud, and it is the least compared with other rivers.However, it still brought countless silt from the upper and middle reaches to the estuary and to the sea, and spent tens of millions of years to fill up the beautiful and fertile Pearl River Delta.
After rushing for thousands of miles, the current is no longer roaring or turbulent. As if exhausted, it flows gently and calmly, throwing off the sediment brought by the upper and middle reaches like a burden. The delta is getting bigger and bigger.The river course is like a spider's web, and the embankment is like a long wall.It used to be a land of fish and rice, but now it is one of the most developed regions in China.
The contribution of the Pearl River is nothing short of great.
More importantly, it brings so much fresh water every year. Now the whole world recognizes that water is the most important resource, the source of life, and the foundation of industrial and agricultural development.
65% to 80% of the mammal body is water, two-thirds of the human body is water, 90% of the brain is water, and 44% of the dry bones are also water.Without water, there is no life. So far, no second planet with water has been found in the universe, so life only exists on the earth.
China is a water-poor country, and its per capita fresh water is a quarter of the world's.More than 400 of the more than 600 cities across the country have insufficient water supply, and more than 100 are seriously short of water.
The fact that the Pearl River provides such an abundance of fresh water does show its fullness, selflessness and importance.We love and respect the "Mother River".
The Pearl River is "three rivers converging and eight diverging". "Three Rivers Convergence" has already been mentioned above, "eight diversions" refers to eight inlets into the sea, which are in order from north to south: Humen, Jiaomen, Hongqimen, Hengmen, Modaomen, Jitiaomen, and Tiger Leaping. Gate and Cliff Gate.
Humen: between Nansha and Dongguan, Shiziyang to the south and Lingdingyang to the north.Dongjiang water is exported from here.
Jiaomen and Hongqimen: around Wanqingsha.
Hengmen: In the south of Hengmen Island, Zhongshan City.
Modaokou: It is the main water outlet of the Xijiang River, with the largest water output, between Sanzao Island and Hengqin Island in Zhuhai City.
Jitiaomen: in the south of Doumen County.
Yamen: In the south of Xinhui, there is an ancient fort at Yamenkou, which was an ancient naval battle battlefield in the late Southern Song Dynasty.
The eight outlets are opened on the west bank of the Pearl River like a fan, and the water of the Xijiang River and the Beijiang River flows into the Lion Ocean and Lingding Ocean at the mouth of the Pearl River through the eight gates.
Human beings living in the Pearl River Basin can be traced back to ancient times, and human activities in this area will not be slower than those in the Yellow River Basin.
In Xiaolongtan, Kaiyuan, Yunnan, 10 ancient ape fossils were discovered in 1957, which are considered to be the fossils of the direct ancestors of human beings from 14 million to 8 million years ago;
In the Lion Rock Cave in Maba, Qujiang, Guangdong, the Maba human skull fossil discovered in 1958 is considered to be an ancient fossil dating back 100,000 years;
In the Tongtianyan Cave in Liuzhou, Guangxi, the skull fossils of people from the Paleozoic Age dating back 50,000 years were discovered;
In addition, Laibin in Guangxi, Nanbanqiao on Yunnan Road, Shangsong Village in Baise, Guangxi, Jiuleng Mountain in Du'an, Guangxi, Dingxiao Maomao Cave in Xingyi, Guizhou, Yantian Beach in Shenzhen, and Nansha Beach at the mouth of the Pearl River all have ancient human sites, proving that Our ancestors existed 50,000, 10,000 or even thousands of years ago.
The development of the Xijiang River Basin began in the Qin Dynasty. Qin Shihuang ordered Shi Lu to dig the Lingqu Canal in Xing'an, Guangxi, connecting the Xiangjiang River and the Lijiang River, and opening up the communication between the Central Plains and Lingnan. The development of Lingnan began with the Xijiang River Basin.
Between the Central Plains and the South of the Five Ridges are thousands of kilometers of mountains with an altitude of more than 1,000 meters, collectively called Wuling, also called Nanling, subdivided into Yuecheng Ridge, Dupang Ridge, Mengzhu Ridge, Qitian Ridge, and Dayu Ridge.The Nanling is majestic, with many peaks, deep valleys, clouds and mists, and the weather is severe.
There are two mountain systems on the territory of China, which clearly separate the north and the south, one is the Qinling Mountains and the other is the Nanling Mountains.There are great differences in climate, ecology, ethnic dialects, and living customs between the north and the south of the Nanling Mountains. The Nanling Mountains also blocked cultural exchanges between the Central Plains and Lingnan in ancient times.Since the Qin Dynasty, this closure was gradually opened, and the two major water systems of the Yangtze River and the Pearl River were connected.Lingqu is the earliest navigation measure in the world.In addition to being open to navigation, the Lingqu Canal has been used for irrigation for more than 2,000 years, and the irrigated area is getting larger and larger. Before liberation, due to the damage of water conservancy projects, it could only irrigate more than 2,000 mu, but now it is more than 30,000 mu.
Ancient ancestors such as Baiyue and Yi lived in the Pearl River Basin in ancient times. After long-term migration, blending and evolution for more than 2,000 years, Han, Zhuang, Yao, Miao, Yi, Buyi, Dong, There are more than 10 ethnic groups such as Bai, Tujia, Hani and Dai.These ethnic groups live in harmony, respect each other like relatives, and drink the same water from the Pearl River. This constitutes a picture of a big ethnic family standing together through thick and thin. There has been no conflict or entanglement among ethnic groups in history.
Generally speaking, the Pearl River is a peaceful and fertile river.
This is the Pearl River file.
Among all the rivers in the country, the Pearl River is considered to be the one with the mildest temper and few problems. However, there are still many natural disasters, and the types are more and more complicated. In addition to floods and droughts, there are also typhoons and salt tides.It is a common thing that the wind does not adjust the rain and the rain does not go smoothly. It has happened since ancient times.
Let’s talk about floods first. The situation in the upper, middle and lower reaches of the Pearl River is also different.In the mountainous areas of Yunnan, where the mountains are high and the valleys are deep, and the weather is different for 10 miles, in Guizhou, where "the sky is not sunny for three days, and the land is not flat for three feet", floods are often characterized by small areas, multiple locations, and disconnected areas. In the middle and lower reaches of Guangxi , Guangdong, because of the open terrain, the contiguous area of more than three counties, and the contiguous area of more than 500,000 mu, the disaster situation is very serious.In the delta area, floods also destroyed dikes and dikes, and droughts also caused seawater intrusion. The situation was more serious and the losses were even greater.
According to historical records, the situation of floods in the millennium from the Northern Song Dynasty to the present is as follows:
In the Guangxi region in the middle reaches of the Xijiang River, there have been 292 flood years and 12 major flood years.On average, there is one minor flood year every 3.4 years, and one major flood year in 83 years.
In the Guangdong area in the lower reaches of the Pearl River, there have been 405 flood years since 1949, with an average of one flood year every 2.4 years, and 30 major flood years, with an average of one every 33 years.
The frequency is increasing. If we use the statistics of the nearly 600 years from the Ming Dynasty to 1949, there were 376 years of floods, of which 26 were major floods. On average, there was a flood year every 1.55 years, that is, there was a major flood year every 22 years.
And if we push it forward for more than 110 years from 1949, that is, to the period of the Opium War, these 100 years were the era when China was poor and weak, and the people were in dire straits. Disasters also followed, increased, and raged. There were actually large-scale disasters in 10 river basins. On average, one flood occurs every 8 years.The density suddenly accelerated.
Please look at the general flood years, from 2.4 years to 1.55 years; the major flood years from 33 years to 22 years, and then to 8 years.One more flood, especially a major flood, will bring so much suffering to this land and to all living beings who obey orders on this land!
Especially in the thirteenth year of Daoguang [1833] and the fourth year of the Republic of China [1915], heavy rains generally fell in the Pearl River Basin.
In 1833, in May and July of the lunar calendar, two floods occurred in the Xijiang River, and the Dongjiang River and the Beijiang River flooded at the same time. As a result, 25 counties along the Xijiang, Dongjiang, and Beijiang Rivers in Guangdong were flooded. Refused to subside for a long time. Records of "floods destroying crops" and "no crops harvested" came one after another.In places such as Heshan, Gaoyao, and the South China Sea, the dikes collapsed and the ocean was filled.According to statistics from only one county, 200,000 mu of land was flooded, more than 10,000 houses collapsed, and more than 20 embankments collapsed.Nanhai, Shunde, Sanshui, and Panyu are surrounded by hundreds of miles, and there are "many refugees". According to the "Historical Materials of Pearl River and Hanjiang Flood Archives in the Qing Dynasty", local officials at that time reported to the court: "There is a disaster that has not been seen in decades, and there are hundreds of thousands of households waiting to be fed by the rice factory in the provincial capital." Heavy.Floods also entered the city of Guangzhou twice. "Guangdong Natural Disasters Historical Materials" records: "It rained heavily in July, the lowlands in the city were more than ten feet deep, and the high ones were four or five feet deep. Countless people drowned in broken houses, and residents took refuge in Guanyin Mountain [ There are many people on the Yuexiu Mountain and the city wall today."
In 1885 [the eleventh year of Guangxu], in the fifth month of the lunar calendar, heavy rain continued for days, and the middle reaches of the Xijiang River reached the delta again. 26 counties including Wuzhou were affected by the disaster. "Inundation of fields and houses, damage to the population"; more than 20 counties belonging to Guangzhou, Zhaoqing, Shaozhou, and Huizhou were also flooded. The book "Historical Materials of Natural Disasters in Guangdong" records like this: "On the sixth day of May, the two rivers in the northwest rose sharply at the same time, and the water was several feet high overnight... [Guangzhou] The water depth outside Xiguan was three or four feet deep, and the city was one or two feet deep. In recent days, the gentleman’s charitable hall has picked up more than a thousand corpses." Sihui County "was completely destroyed" and "many cities collapsed"; Twenty-one"; Huaiji County, "the depth of the water on the flat land is two feet deep, and more than ten thousand houses have been washed away"; Huaxian County [now Huadu] "has hundreds of households in the village who have been washed away."The imperial court has always been stingy, so at this time it had to provide 60,000 taels of disaster relief.
The flood in the fourth year of the Republic of China [1915] was the largest flood in the Pearl River Basin since history was recorded.In July of this year, a historically rare major flood occurred on more than 500,000 square kilometers of land in southern China, and the flood in the Pearl River Basin was part of it.
On July 13 [the second day of the sixth month of the lunar calendar] the flood peak flow in Wuzhou reached 54,500 cubic meters per second, which is an unprecedented record. This is a once-in-200-year flood.
At that time, Hong Kong's "Huazi Daily" reported on the disaster in the Xijiang River, saying: "From Wuzhou down the river, I saw a vast ocean, furniture drifted with the river, and sometimes I saw the tops of trees on the roof above the water... and several times due to turbulence The momentum is fierce, rushing to the side of the channel, and the boat passes by the beams of the house and the tops of the trees." Fire and water are merciless, such a flood, and there are many rural houses with earth walls. After cleansing, there is no one who does not collapse; in such a flood country, it is impossible to climb the roof or the treetops, how can people survive!
70% of the Pearl River Delta was flooded, 6.48 million mu of farmland was flooded, of which 4.5 million mu was lost, 3.78 million people were affected, and more than 100,000 people were killed or injured.
Guangzhou was not spared. The river flooded the city, the embankment was three feet deep, and the Xiguan area was more than one foot deep.It is especially unfortunate that Shisanhang was suddenly caught in a fire, which lasted for more than 20 hours. More than 2,000 households in 25 streets were completely destroyed. There are thousands of floating corpses.The so-called dire straits, the people have no escape.
In 1947, the second year after the victory of the Anti-Japanese War and two years before the liberation of the whole country, floods once again came to Guangxi and the Pearl River Delta region.A person who visited the disaster area from a plane wrote: "Dongguan Shilong area, where the torrent reaches, there is a vast ocean, and the houses are seen sinking and floating in the turbid yellow waves." He also said: "Huizhou West Lake has no longer recognized its true colors. "He also said: "The disaster situation in the South China Sea is worse than that in Dongguan [Guan] Bo [Luo]. The vast area is completely submerged in water. When flying to Sanshui, Southwest, and Lubao, all the cities and towns near the river are under water, and only trees can be seen in the villages. The tops and roofs are everywhere..."
These records record the bitter rain and wind, and the great suffering. Under the surface, there are more than 2 million sufferings and huge losses.Fortunately, there will be no such scene again, and it will become a swan song.
The frequent floods of the Pearl River are caused by climate, geography and man-made factors.
In terms of climate, Yunnan, Guizhou, Guangxi and Guangdong are all located in the southern subtropical zone, and the rainfall is concentrated in summer and autumn. In addition, typhoons in the Pacific Ocean are also produced in this season, with violent wind and rain.The rainfall in this area is very abundant, all around 1700 mm.The amount of water is large and concentrated, and it cannot be vented for a while, which is easy to cause disaster.From the above description, we can see that the flood disasters are concentrated in the period of June and July.
From a geographical point of view, the river bed of the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau is deep, the canyons are steep, and the water rushing down the mountain is swift and fierce.From the 2,400-meter-high altitude of the source of the Pearl River to the 60-meter-high altitude of the delta estuary, the drop is huge and the impact is very strong. Due to the fact that there are thousands of mountains and ravines on the plateau, there is a lack of natural water storage lakes, such as Dongting Lake, Poyang Lake, and Taihu Lake. For the Yangtze River, the water volume, flow rate, and flow can be adjusted, instead of rushing to the sea in one go.Such geographical features also contribute to the frequent floods of the Pearl River.
From the perspective of human factors, every time there was a war in the Central Plains in the past, a large number of refugees would cross the Nanling Mountains and settle in the South of the Five Ridges. This trend became more obvious after the Song Dynasty.
In the Neolithic Age 5,000 years ago, Guangzhou, Foshan, Xiqiao, and Jiujiang were the seasides.Due to the continuous reclamation of sand from the upper and middle reaches, the delta has continued to expand, and the original shallow water bay has been continuously filled into sand fields.In the Qin and Han Dynasties, the coastline extended to Shilou, Panyu, and Shunde; in the Song Dynasty, the coastline extended to Huangpu, Xiaolan, and Xinhui.With continuous reclamation and field enclosure, the Pearl River Estuary has become narrower and narrower.Nearly 30 dams were built during the Song and Yuan dynasties, enclosing a large area of sandy fields.Wanqingsha and Denglongsha were all formed in the past 200 years.
There are roughly five stages of land reclamation from the sea:
The first is the fish swimming stage. When the sea water ebbs, you can see the fish swimming on the shallow bottom. The water depth is about 1 meter to 2 meters. It is not far away to form a tidal flat.
The second is the stage of scull forcing. When the small boat passes by at low tide, the tail end of the scull often touches the sandy bottom. When the boat passes by, the water becomes turbid, indicating that the beach has initially formed and can be thrown stones to promote siltation.
The third is the crane standing stage. When the tide is low, crane birds stand on the beach to look for small fish and shrimp.The beach head is submerged in the water when the tide is high, and the beach head is out of the water when the tide is low.
The fourth is the stage of grassland. After the tide ebbs, the beach head is exposed to the water surface, and aquatic plants can be planted, which grows rapidly and luxuriantly, which shows that the conditions for reclamation are met.
The fifth is the stage of enclosing fields. As the beach continues to rise and desalinate, dikes are built around the tidal flats for land reclamation, turning them into acres of fields.
Through these steps, Shatian reclamation developed very rapidly.Because there is no unified planning, small areas are often reclamated and developed out of order, often blocking waterways, and it is difficult to vent when floods come.Sometimes it is supported by the high tide of the sea, and the venting is even more difficult.
In 1841, the "Xinhui County Chronicle" certified the results of unplanned rock-throwing and damming on the sea channel below Ganzhu Beach, saying: "The acceptance of Shatan must build stone dams; the struggle for stone dams must hinder the downstream; The downstream is silted up and the water is flooding, so it is inevitable to prevent it.” “Nowadays, the more reclamation is carried out, the more stone dams are, the more serious the flood is... Nanhai, Xinhui, Xiangshan [now Zhongshan], Panyu and other counties and places It’s all true.” This passage can prove the consequences of blindly reclaiming land from the sea and hindering the drainage of river water.
The "Xiangshan [now Zhongshan] County Annals" in 1827 is equally clear: "The ancients regarded the Xijiang River as the harm of the South [sea] and three [waters], and the benefits of [Germany] incense [Xiangshan]. Shunxiang near the sea, easy The flow is also. Today, the sand fields in Haimen are silted up day by day, and those who went away in a mighty way in the past are now twisting and turning, and cannot reach; Refers to the salt water] Gradually receding and the fields are beautiful, and the water in the north of Li is restricted and the fields are bad, so most of Shunde suffers from it; the townships in the northwest of the city also suffer from it." A specific example explains the whole story clearly. In vain, artificially built Shatian, artificially narrowed the river, artificially blocked the mouth of the river, the consequences are serious.This is the case in ordinary times, and when the flood comes, it cannot be parried.Therefore, it was aware of its disadvantages at that time. In 1829 [the ninth year of Daoguang], the Qing government ordered the demolition of 57 stone dams to facilitate the flow of water.
Due to the various reasons mentioned above, the floods in the Pearl River have become more and more frequent and severe, and the losses have also increased since ancient times to the Qing Dynasty.
Floods are followed by droughts. In the years when the rainfall drops sharply, there is little water from the upper and middle reaches, and the rivers dry up. The fields in the Pearl River Basin will crack again, and the crops will lose their harvest.The average elevation of the delta is only 60 meters, and many sandy fields near the sea are only slightly higher than the water surface. The amount of fresh water is reduced. When the astronomical high tide rises, the sea water backflows, and the salt tide comes, not only the crops are lost, but the drinking water for humans and animals is also very difficult. question.In this case, "supplementing light and suppressing saltiness" has become a prominent requirement.
Looking through the history of the Pearl River from ancient times to the present is full of thrills, from which we can hear the pace of the times, and see the suffering, voices and wishes of the people.
In the face of disaster, we must rectify.
Faced with the Pearl River floods from ancient times to the present, people are trying every means to cure them.Especially in modern times, people with lofty ideals introduced foreign modern ideas for speculation, and hired water conservancy experts from abroad to conduct on-the-spot investigations and strategies.
The "mother river" of the Pearl River should not be allowed to flow toward increasingly serious floods, but toward fundamental improvement.However, the rectification plans often insist on their own opinions, and each has its own advantages and disadvantages. However, historical discussions at least show that all parties are paying attention to the rectification of the "Mother River", and they all intend to use modern concepts to pursue the essence of the problem, which is of great benefit The future development of river governance.
The essence of governance is to completely eliminate floods.
Discussion on the need to control the mountains in order to control the water——
After the Southern Song Dynasty, the population of Lingnan increased day by day, not only the reclamation of plain areas accelerated, such as the reclamation of land from the sea in the delta, but also the development of mountainous areas. The late immigrants of the Southern Song Dynasty often settled in the mountainous areas, splitting mountains to reclaim fields, cutting forests to make fields, and the forests were greatly affected. Destruction, vegetation damage, soil erosion intensified, mud and sand, silting up the river, aggravating flooding.
"Sihui County Chronicle" in 1896 stated: "In the first ten days of May in Yiyou, Guangxu, the water rose suddenly by more than ten feet a day and night, and the inner and outer bases of the town were closed at the same time. What's the reason? The bottom of the river is getting shallower and shallower, and the rain is a disaster, and it is so fast." In 1819, "Nanxiong County Chronicle" also said: "In the past 40 to 50 years, [tobacco leaves] have been increasingly planted, but the places where tobacco is grown are all in the area. Mountains and high mounds, once reclaimed, the soil is floating pine, and every time there is heavy rain, it will be washed away from time to time, pouring into the river, and the daily shape will be congested, and it will be flooded for a long time." People have already seen blind reclamation, destruction of forests, destruction of vegetation, and soil erosion. cause flooding.Tongshan Tuling cannot absorb rainwater, and when the flood comes, it will roll down with mud and rocks.
Many areas in the upper and middle reaches of the Pearl River are karst landforms, with limestone caves and Yinhe Rivers, all underground.The rocky mountains in these places have extremely thin soil layers, and it takes hundreds of years to weather an inch of soil. Once the vegetation is destroyed, the rainwater will wash away the thin layer of soil, forming rocky desertification, and it is impossible to restore planting. Not a single blade of grass will grow.Rocky desertification and land desertification in the north are chronic diseases and cancers of the land.
Since the end of the Qing Dynasty, the erosion of sand and soil has become more serious. People realized that it must be changed, and the relationship between water control and mountain control has also aroused heated discussions. In 1918, after successive years of floods, the Guangdong Local Self-Government Research Institute published a newspaper to solicit opinions on the aftermath of the floods, and compiled it into a book "Chou Liao Hui Shu".There are many good strategies in the book:
"Governing water is not only about rivers, but also mountains. Today, Tongshan Mountains in Guangdong can be seen everywhere. If there are dense forests, it can kill the rainfall."
"There are trees on the mountain, which absorb more water vapor when it rains, and the roots and leaves can stop the rainwater from accumulating, so that the sediment will not flow down and block the river. This is the power of the forest."
People see the function of the forest and pay attention to the management of the mountain.Mountains and water are inherently a unity of contradictions.
However, there are different opinions on such a proposition.
Hai Desheng, the chief engineer of Shanghai Pujiang Junhe Bureau who was invited to Guangdong, thought: "Planting forests widely is the only way to prevent disasters in this world", but "it will not be effective after 50 years."Far water does not quench near thirst.
Ke Weilian, the Swedish chief engineer at the river control department in Guangdong, said: "The fallen leaves of the forest rot and form a kind of mud, which has a great ability to absorb water, but once the absorption power is exhausted, its ability to reduce water potential is often lost. Functional ears." "It takes decades to grow forests." He calculated that to lower the water level of the Beijiang River by one foot, the area of forest planting must account for 65% of the Beijiang River Basin. Funding is a problem, and organization is also difficult. Therefore, he believes that it is "indefinitely far away" to use trees to solve flood problems.
Ke Weilian is a Swedish engineering colonel. In March 1915, he was appointed as the chief engineer of the Guangdong River Control Department. He worked in Guangdong for more than 20 years and made many pioneering contributions to the Pearl River water conservancy. In 1936, the Guangdong River Control Association was reorganized, and Ke Weilian served as a consultant, and then returned to Sweden.
Those who hold different opinions are not against planting trees to stop soil and water loss, but think that it will not work quickly, and the organization work is difficult and expensive.The method of tree planting should only be advocated, but not regarded as the fundamental method of river control.
Looking at it from today's point of view, afforestation is one of the most important tasks in river management. In addition, measures such as developing horizontal terraces and building mud dams in valleys are very effective in controlling mountains and water.
Regarding the proposal of flood diversion——
In view of the fact that the flood came too fast and violently, the original river course could not accommodate it, as early as 1918 in the book "Chou Liao Hui Shu", someone suggested that the flood diversion channel should be excavated, "To avoid the flood in Guangdong, we must build a new river It is impossible to vent its flow by dividing it."The specific new river for flood diversion should be above the Xijiang River.To this end, Ke Weilian and the British engineer Gordon made field inspections, research, and made measurements on several lines.The results are:
One route is to excavate a new channel from the Beiliu River in the west of Wuzhou, and connect to the Nanliu River near Yulin. It can divert 10,000 cubic meters of flow per second into the sea, but more than 2 billion cubic meters of earth needs to be excavated, which can reduce the cost of Sanshui Sixianjiao. The water level of the hydrological station is 1.5 meters.
One route is to excavate from the Xinxing River in Zhaoqing to the Moyang River connected to Yangjiang, and divert the flood from the Moyang River into the sea.
One route connects the Xinxing River to the Tanjiang River in Jiangmen, and diverts the floodwater from the Tanjiang River into the sea. The earthwork volume is more than 700 million cubic meters, which can lower the water level of Sixianjiao by 1.5 meters.
One route is to branch out from Lingyang Gorge in Zhaoqing, pass through Jinliwei, and then flow back to Xijiang.It can reduce the flood level in Zhaoqing by 1.7 meters, but it will occupy 31 square kilometers of fertile fields.
Through investigation and verification, because the Xijiang River and the southern estuary are separated by mountains, the watershed is high and wide, and many routes are difficult to implement; if construction must be started, "it will cost a lot."So the proposal to divide the flood had to be dropped.
In fact, an artificial river was excavated from the upper reaches of the Xinxing River, crossed the watershed, and connected with the Moyang River. This new river is about 30 kilometers long, and 40% of the flood water will be diverted from it, which will greatly alleviate the flood in the delta. This proposal was made in 1833. In the 13th year of Daoguang's reign, it was proposed.Due to the limited conditions at that time, it could not be realized.
Until today, various flood diversion proposals have not been implemented, because these proposals are not practical.
Regarding the proposal to build a reservoir——
There are no natural lakes along the Pearl River to regulate floods, so in 1908 [the thirty-fourth year of Guangxu], Kang Youwei proposed to refer to the experience of the British in helping Egypt manage the Nile River in his "Book on the Nile River Control Method for China" , to control the flooding of the Pearl River.Kang Youwei from South China Sea, Guangxu Jinshi, in 1888 [Guangxu 14th year] In view of the increasingly serious national crisis, he wrote to the Qing emperor to suggest that it should be changed into a law, and the sentiments should be shared, in order to make China prosperous and strong; The letter was written on the bus; later, the "Hundred Days Reform" was promoted.In the early days, he was thinking about the nation and the country.Therefore, he is attentive to the issue of water control that concerns thousands of households.
The Nile River has a total length of 6,670 kilometers. The upper reaches are regulated by Lake Victoria and Mobutu, and the water volume does not change much. The middle and lower reaches often flood, depositing huge amounts of fertile soil, and forming a typical delta at the outlet of the Mediterranean Sea. It is one of the birthplaces of ancient culture in the world.Kang Youwei said: "China should use the method of the British to control the Nile River in Egypt to control the water. The method of water control is from the old Jinggu Shihun and Zhongjing Lushi down to Cairo. Ponds and sluices are set up for thousands of miles, and along the river. The meteorological station, if there is little rain and drought, will discharge the ponds to irrigate the farmland; when the floods come, and the rain will continue for days, all the ponds thousands of miles upstream will be opened to receive them." "Today's Guangdong The disaster is serious, and we only need to open more ponds and sluices in the upper reaches, and set up observation stations."
The Guangdong River Control Office established in 1914 was not in favor of this idea of combining flood control, water storage, irrigation, etc. to build more ponds. The article "Flood Problems in Guangdong" said: "If you want to build reservoirs in the river basins of this province for the purpose of preventing flooding in lowlands, it is difficult to expect it to be effective. Sincerely, it is like the lower reaches of the Xijiang River, if the vast agricultural land is not occupied , there will be no land for the water tank. The watersheds of the rivers and their tributaries on the gorge are mostly narrow and steep, and it is impossible to build a water storage tank with an appropriate capacity."
The "Xijiang Field Measurement Report" also believes: "As far as we know, there is no natural large lake in the Xijiang area, and the major tributaries such as the Youjiang River, Hongshui River, and Liujiang River are mostly planting areas, and cities and villages are dotted. In the meantime, it should not be used for building pools." It is believed that to reduce the flood water level by a certain amount, "the value must be very high." The "Beijiang Survey Budget" report also said: "Flying to the gorge, if you don't encroach on the rights of the villagers, submerge a large section of rich land, there is really no land for construction. Although the land on the gorge is relatively barren, it is located on the main stream and beyond. The tributary river basin is analogous to narrow and steep land, where building capacity is intended to be used, but it is difficult.” The contradiction between flood control and land use cannot be resolved.
Later, the Pearl River Water Conservancy Bureau changed its view, and believed that the Fujiang River Basin could be considered as the site for building the reservoir.The Fujiang River is in the east of Yingde, where it flows into the Beijiang River. In 1941, someone held the same view: "It is difficult to find a suitable valley for the construction site of the barrage reservoir, and the cost is huge. It cannot be designed purely for flood prevention. The Chafu River has sufficient head and flow to generate electricity. If it is built in Huanggang With a dam, the upstream river course can be turned into a narrow and long reservoir, which can be used to block the river and generate electricity." In this way, the idea is clearer, not just for flood control, as the cost of flood control is too high, and comprehensive treatment is required. Flood control and power generation are bundled together, and building reservoirs is much more realistic. In 1946, the "Draft of the Pearl River Fundamental Treatment Plan" pointed out that "the Pearl River has many difficult conditions for flood control, and the process of flood storage is inevitable." In the area of the Fujiang River, "the land is vast and sparsely populated, surrounded by mountains and mountains. If we can balance the interests and pour out the surplus, we can control the source of the flood."
Opinion tends to unify and mature with widespread controversy.
However, in that era, the politics were turbid, the economy was sluggish, and the technology was backward. They could only stay on paper and draw cakes to satisfy their hunger, and they could not be realized.Before liberation, did we see that a large and medium-sized reservoir was built in the Pearl River Basin?See if the flood is really under control?
After liberation, many large and medium-sized reservoirs for flood control, power generation, and comprehensive navigation were built in the Xijiang River Basin. It really came to the Anlan era.It will be mentioned below and omitted here.
Regarding the discussion on raising the embankment——
When the flood came, the first thing people thought of was to raise the embankment to resist the flood. The so-called "soldiers will block it, and water will cover it with earth".In the delta area of the lower reaches of the Pearl River, all the fields were reclaimed by the people of the past dynasties who built dikes. In the era of the small-scale peasant economy, the foundations were vertical and horizontal, and the cofferdams were dotted with dots.Originally, when the flood came, it was necessary to "widen the river body and flow smoothly", but the long-term reclamation and damming have competed with the water for land, and the waterways have become narrower and more curved, and silted up. In 1837 [the seventeenth year of Daoguang] Qi Gong, the governor of Guangdong, ordered to encircle the three major areas of the South China Sea, the Wucha Xun, the Sanshui Banyan, and the Qingyuan Shijiao.Using heightened dams to retain water is "an urgent plan is not essential."This is a temporary solution, not a permanent solution.When the dam is raised, the water head rises again, and the higher the dam, the higher the water rises.
In view of the fact that the river course is increasingly silted up, it will affect the safety of flood discharge. In 1915, the Swede Ke Weilian said in the article "Flood Problems in Guangdong": "The method of dredging the bottom of the river, many people think that it is the only way to reduce the height of the flooded water. They don't know that the river bottom that has been dredged can always keep smooth and smooth. It is effective.” When the river bottom is dredged and dug deeper, the natural water capacity will be large, and the river will flow smoothly; however, the dredging of the river bottom is often only in part, not the whole river bottom, and the sediment carried by the river will soon disappear. Fill in the dredged areas.Perseverance and continuous dredging are necessary to be effective, otherwise "there is no hope of improving the riverbed".If we really do this, "the project is huge and requires a lot of expenses, so it is not appropriate to save money."It was originally a palliative, and the effort was huge, so the gain outweighed the gain.
In the book "Chou Liao Hui Shu", there is also an article that "try to see Shakou into Foshan, but it is only a distance of more than 10 miles, and it has been dug dozens of times in decades, and even if it is dug this year and accumulated next year, there is still no way to do it."Partial dredging, within a few years, the siltation remains the same, with little effect.
It can be seen from this that the idea of raising dams and dredging rivers for flood control cannot be said to have no effect at all, and can be used urgently when necessary, but it is not a comprehensive, long-term, and fundamental solution.
Looking at the above discussion, all of them have happened in the history of river harnessing, some of which were naive, and some of them hit a wall after being implemented. We can also see that with the advancement of dynasties, the concept of river harnessing is also being perfected and improved.
To manage the Pearl River fundamentally, it is not a single solution, but a comprehensive management problem.
From the end of the Qing Dynasty to the Republic of China, many discussions remained on paper and oral, and even good opinions could not be implemented at that time.At that time, the country was poor and the people were poor, the people's livelihood was very difficult, internal and external troubles, the government was unable to take care of the river.The real governance of the river did not take place until after liberation, when the government was clear, the government was sympathetic, and national strength, financial resources, and technological strength were flourishing. After 60 years of persistence, a brand new Pearl River was created.
After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the Pearl River Basin changed the world, but the natural disasters and floods did not stop abruptly because of this, and they no longer harassed.Flooding remains the most frequent natural disaster.
In October 1986, heavy rainfall occurred in the Yuanjiang River in Yunnan, and the second largest flood occurred since 1908. Landslides and mudslides rolled, causing great economic losses;
In August 1988, the Liujiang River and Hongshui River in the middle reaches of the Xijiang River suffered a once-in-20-year flood, causing huge losses;
From June to July 1991, the Nanpan River and Beipan River in the upper reaches of the Xijiang River flooded, causing great economic losses;
1994年6月，华南地区连续13天暴雨，西江、北江同时暴发50年一遇的洪灾，三角洲水位猛涨，又值大潮期，潮水顶托洪水入海，高水位持续10天以上，农田被淹，1300多万人受灾。同年7月，西江中游普降暴雨、大暴雨，再次形成洪灾。两次灾情使经济损失600多亿之多；
1996年7月，西江中游强暴雨天气，柳州洪峰水位达到100年一遇的水平；
1998年6月，西江流域普降大暴雨，西江发生100年一遇的洪水，造成两广共计94个县市受灾。
1998年奇怪的是：长江、嫩江、松花江、珠江都发生了罕见的洪涝灾害。南南北北乌云密布，大雨倾盆，江河出槽，这引起了全国对水利的重视。党的十五届三中全会把水利摆到了突出的位置，做出了重要决定。
旱灾严重的有1987年、1988年、1990年、1991年、1995年等年头，中等旱情年份有1989年、1994年、1996年、2000年等，农作物失收、绝收，人畜饮水呈现困难。
台风灾祸也是不可忽视地巨大，1989年的“8926”号台风、1991年的“9107”号台风、1993年的“9315”号“9314”号台风、1995年“9509”号台风、1996年的“9615”号台风，都给广东沿海造成破坏，风力狂暴，挟带豪雨而至，房坍树倒，船橹摧折，后果严重。
针对众多自然灾害，建国60年来特别是改革开放30年来，各级政府领导广大人民，艰苦卓绝地防灾抗灾，坚持不懈地进行水利建设。可以说是战绩辉煌，人定胜天。前人不敢想或者只在纸面上勾勒的梦想，如今能够得到实现。
2000多公里的西江，浩浩荡荡，横穿南中国的山岩峰岭、无边土地，呼啸着流进南海。它一路绘下了壮丽而多采的画面，也记下了千秋岁月的变迁。
新中国成立后，珠江水利真正进入到了一个新的时代。
水利工程建设——
60年来，从云南到广东，西江沿线修筑了100多座的大中型水库和水利枢纽，那些小水池、小塘坝、小沟渠、小水窖、小水利无法计数，不在其内。
西江流域雨量充沛，但很集中，全年不平衡，需要许多水库来调节水量，丰水期和枯水期互济；西江从头到尾落差有2000余米，有丰富的水力资源，可以驱动众多发电机。险滩多、坡陡、流急的红水河水力资源特别丰富，可以梯级开发。
全国闻名的鲁布革电站，龙滩水库、岩滩水库，天生桥一、二期工程，以及正准备施工的大藤峡工程，等等，都是防洪、发电、航运俱备的工程。
龙滩水库：是红水河上游的一个大型水库，库容170多亿立方，地处广西河池天峨县境内。水库蜿蜒于云贵高原东缘的群山峻岭之峡谷中，龙滩水库防洪、发电、航运综合利用。它是西江上游的龙头工程和战略性骨干工程，是西江堤库结合的关键工程。它创造了世界三个之“最”：最高混凝土大坝，坝高216.5米；规模最大的地下厂房；提升高度最高的升船机，可提升179米。
它是梯级电站之首，以下还有岩滩、大化、百龙滩、乐滩、桥巩、大藤峡六级电站相继开发，可以发电200多亿千瓦时。龙滩蓄水后，大部分险滩被湖水淹没，500吨船可以直航广州。它可以拦蓄50年一遇洪水，不致肆虐三角洲。
在施工过程中，坚持了沙土保持、绿化、园林化等措施，做到挡渣、护坡、钢筋锚固、防止山体滑动等结果。
天生桥水电站坐落在南盘江上游，分一级二级，天生桥一级电站是红水河梯级电站的第一级，1991年开工建设，因为媒体的频繁宣传，大家耳熟能详，到2000年4台机组全部安装完毕，年发电量是52亿千瓦时，强大电力送至两广、港澳，蓄水量102亿立方。它的大坝采用混凝土面板堆石坝技术，属世界先进水平。水库大坝有各种类型，有土坝、有钢筋混凝土坝等，而天生桥大坝采用的是当地用之不竭的石头资源，作堆石大坝，外加水泥面板，非常坚固。它的电站设备选型、电脑化操作等的高标准，使它成为中国水利建设史上的里程碑。
天生桥二级电站，在广西隆林县。南盘江三江口到双河口短短的一段河床，落差竟达425米，共建三座大型水电枢纽：天生桥一级二级，平班三级。年发电总量149亿多千瓦时，是“西电东送”的骨干主力军。天生桥一级水头高111米，而天生桥二级水头最高达204米。年发电82亿千瓦时。
百色水利枢纽：大型水库，库容达到56.6亿立方，是防洪、灌溉、发电、航运、供水多功能水库。使南宁防洪标准由50年一遇提高到100年一遇；扩大灌溉面积为1万公顷；使右江航道由六级提高为三级，能够通行1000吨船只；四台机组发电，年发电17亿千瓦时。
这样的多种功能的水利工程是造福工程，是平安工程，是致富工程。
2000年11月8日贵州省洪家渡水电站、引子渡水电站、乌江渡水电站扩建，同时开工，标志“西电东送”的全面启动。
请想一想100余个大中型水库及水利枢纽，长藤结瓜般出现在西江上，像一串银练串着上百颗大小明珠。100多年前，水利专家们左争右议，看不到希望，这“希望”如今100倍几百倍地出现了。珠江不必再艳羡长江有洞庭湖、鄱阳湖、太湖这样的大湖作为水的仓库，现在它自己也有了成百个人造的大湖，作为水的仓库。
过去，洪水来时恨它多余、残暴、无情；当枯水干旱时又视水为宝贝、甘露。大中型水库就可以起到调节、调和的作用。这对农业稳产高产、稳定浇灌面积，功莫大焉！
治理水土流失，改善生态环境——
这方面工程很多，内容丰富，目的只为既防洪又治水土流失，狂暴的雨水冲刷掉土层，土地就变得贫瘠低产，特别是岩溶地貌，只要石窝窝里有点积土，就种几棵玉米之类作物，如若这点土也保不住，全山就石漠化。
我国西南喀斯特地区的石漠化凶恶而苦涩，步步紧迫吞食人们的家园，它与西北地区的沙漠化、黄土高原的水土流失，并称为我国三大自然灾害。石漠化地方，没有树，没有草，没有水，没有土，没有绿，只有狰狞的、长着锋利牙齿一样的石头。石灰岩地区存不住水，一场雨之后，很快“滴、跑、漏”光了。
西南喀斯特地区生态极其脆弱，石漠化每年以1800平方公里的速度发展，耕地以每年11万亩的速度在消失。专家指出：“如果石漠化不加速治理，25年内石漠化就会翻一番。”石漠化会引致自然环境更加恶化，各种自然灾害频繁发生，专家预测，真是这样，130年后，古“夜郎国”就会变成古楼兰国。
治理石漠化是贵州省建设生态环境、脱贫致富、为下游百姓着想的民心工程的中心任务之一，各地都在努力。
比如贵州贞丰县的石漠化山头，光裸着，黑褐色，寸绿无有，毫无表情地耸立着，变成死山，没有生命也没有生气。
经过多年治理，贞丰县的许多石漠化山头终于长出了绿色，可喜可爱的绿色。证明了治理的成绩。
西江中上游，过去乱砍滥伐，水土流失严重。上世纪90年代以来，综合治理了小流域2500条，修水平梯田17000多公顷，兴修蓄水保土工程50多万座，种植水土保护林、经济林、果树林8000多公顷，封山育林1万多公顷等等。原来情况严重的南盘江、北盘北中上游，经过治理，得到显著效果，泥沙下山入河被控制，生态环境的改善使得脱贫致富有了很大进步。
这些工作必须得到人民群众的支持才能取得成绩，人的因素始终是第一位的。而人民群众在这些工程中，觉悟很高，豪情空前。
三角洲南【海】番【禺】顺【德】地区，从宋代开始就创造了生态农业生产模式。这一带土地平旷低平，海拔极低，雨水一多就淹。人们在长期劳作中，创造了桑基鱼塘即把部分土地挖成鱼塘养鱼，挖出来的泥土堆到塘基上，把塘基抬高，种果、种蔗，更多的种桑。种桑养蚕，蚕沙【蚕粪】倒入鱼塘喂鱼，到冬季干塘，将塘泥翻上塘基肥田。形成生态循环。这个模式一直为生物界、农业界称道。这个模式在当代更为发扬光大。
这也说明在农民中，生态意识、生态积极性，古就有之。只要启发得当，就能燃起熊熊烈焰。
保护水资源，发展供水大业——
这是珠江治理中的重要一环。眼下水污染问题日益突出，水体呈恶化趋势，西江上游的南盘江、北盘江地区、特别是三角洲地区等，人口稠密，工业发达，废气废水废物排放日增，一半河段的水质劣于Ⅲ类，到达不能饮用地步，人畜饮水安全受到严重挑战。保护水源、发展供水事业，成为一件大事，也是城乡发展的必须。
近年来，珠江流域兴建了大量蓄水、引水、提水工程，使得年供水能力达到931亿立方，相当于大型的龙滩水库50亿立方容量的19倍。
在中上游喀斯特溶岩的贫困的深山里，地面上溶洞多了供水十分困难，往往要到多少里外的谷底去担水，误工费力，取一次水往往耗时半日，在广西的许多山区，协助人们修筑水塘，一户一家能修起一亩半亩的水泥池子，下雨时将水引入，可供终年的人畜用水。这是解除苦旱的利民工程。
城市的供水更是普遍，以解决城市猛烈发展对水的更大需求，人们生活水平提高就对水质更高要求。各地建成了许多引水工程，比如云南柴石滩水库向昆明供水；广西桂林、北海等城市的引水供水工程；广东东江向香港输水的东深工程；鹤地水库经青年运河向湛江的供水工程；茂名的供水工程……几乎所有水库都在向附近城乡提供优秀水源。广州自来水厂从西江取水的取水口，一再上移，为的就是想取较为干净一点的水源。
2004年冬至2005年春西江枯水，入海流量不足，咸潮倒灌内江内河，严重影响饮用水质，为保证珠海、澳门、中山、东莞等地1000多万人供水，由中上游水库放水压咸补淡，曾经震动珠江全流域和全国。下文还要提及，此处暂略。
整治三角洲的出海口和堤围——
长期以来珠江下游河道一直处于不断的淤积之中。上世纪80年代开始，三角洲主要河道普遍存在大规模的采砂活动，愈演愈烈。因为城乡建设需要，建楼、修路、建设各种钢筋混凝土工程无不需要砂石。于是炮声隆隆中，到处都有开山取石的石场，机船轧轧声中，无处不有采砂之船；有了禁令都不能煞住，白天停工，夜里开工，因为巨额利润在吸引着某些人。
由于采砂，三角洲各河道普遍被下切，深掏，掏空了河堤、险要防洪工程的基础，特别是那些老旧的基础。由于深掏，引起了主流流水的摆动，一向无事的河堤忽然由于水流的冲击而呈危。
据测算，磨刀门竹洲头到灯龙山水道，1990年到2000年间就被采砂3000多万立方，南【海】番【禺】顺【德】等地区水道，被采砂总量达到16000多万立方，数量很大。
除了采砂，大马力的机动船的来往，激起强力波涛冲击堤岸，特别是双体高速船扬起的波涛对于土堤、险堤有致命的杀伤力。机动船来往密度日益繁忙。
于是整险护岸就提到日程上来了。
1986年广东省人大6届5次会议通过了《关于进一步加强江河整治工作的议案》，省人大对治理表示了关心重视。
1986年开始对龙湾基险段进行整治。
1990年对顺德三槽口菊花湾险段开始进行整治，发现1000多米河滩坍塌，原本河床深槽深3米，此时每年又深掏2到4米，危及堤岸。
1999年属南【海】顺【德】联围的白蛇洲险段出现严重坍塌，紧急投入整治。
南海九江镇铜鼓滩险段，本是南海历史险段之一，全长1300余米，当下又发现深槽迫岸，堤岸危立，刻不容缓地需要整治，1991到1995年完成了工程。
诸如上述整治险段不一而足，都需要抛石、砌石、混凝土预制件护岸等等，工程量都很大。
珠江八个出海口因为淤积、泄水不畅、有碍航道等原因，多年来持续不停进行了整治。
磨刀门：出海口宽阔，江心容易积起拦门沙，甚至出现草坦【成形沙洲，水来浸入水中，水去露出水面，沙洲日高，平时已长满青草】。因此要搬走沙洲，疏浚中水河床，必要处抛石，砌起石坝，规范航道。
洪奇门：因为淤积，要疏浚行洪主槽，疏浚量达到450余万立方；开挖浅滩段，以形成主河槽，以利通航，开挖量也有350余万立方；在万顷沙附近，为改变水流方向，要抓泥、喷泥、抛石、砌石、混凝土浇灌，减轻冲刷。工程量动辄几十万几百万立方。
为了避免枯燥，其它如横门、蕉门、鸡啼门等治理不作赘述。基本情况大致相似，都为了行洪、通航创造更好条件。可是这些整治工程都很艰巨，往往花费几年时间才完成一项工程，耗费可观，这正好说明各级政府和水利部门，把整治工程看得很重，抓得很紧，目的就是打造一条新珠江。过去不可能实现的，如今都在实现中。
因为珠江整治从上游到下游，方面很多，情况复杂，内容颇繁，60年来做了许多开创性的修复，很难一一叙述清晰，只能给读者一个大概轮廓，让读者自己在心底编出一句歌词：“社会主义好！”
珠江航运，这里主要讲西江航运。
西江上游的云贵高原，流深，坡陡，峡谷森严，以前通行的是木船。过去云贵高原的交通主要依赖陆路，依赖马帮。
马帮出发了，半个月乃至几个月都在路上，循高山深谷间盘曲山道，用马帮着物资走向辽远的地方。夜里，烧一堆篝火，又驱夜寒又驱野兽，大地当床月当灯。
广西有所不同，陆路崎岖难行，江河水系发达，广西80%以上的县份可通水路。广西境内有456余条河流，其中158条可以通航。广西对内对外的交通以水路为主。但是运输工具落后，清末以前一直靠拉纤、摇橹、撑篙的人力操作。梧州到磨刀门出口，江水深宽，全长340公里，可以通行500至1000吨船只，但是长期靠木帆船担纲。
1885年【光绪十一年】3月24日，清军70岁老将冯子材大破法军于镇南关【今友谊关】，取得威震中外的大捷。清军乘胜出关追敌，29日收复谅山，30日收复谷松、观音桥等地，直迫河内。为此，法国茹费内阁倒台。中法战争中，军需运输繁忙，西江航运鼎盛一时。当时发