Analysis on river course shifting at Xiliugou estuary of Inner Mongolia

Xiliugou estuary is shifting southward nearly every year, and it has drifted to the south about 455 m and to upstream about 266 m in the past 50 years. From aspect of incoming water and sediment, the high sediment concentration floods in tributaries lead to block at confluence of main stream. Especially when Xiliugou suffers the flood with high sediment concentration, the water level at confluence of tributaries will rise. On the other hand, because of complicated geological and geomorphologic characteristics in Xiliugou, flood water and sediment in main stream create adverse condition which obstructs flood flow from Xiliugou into the main stream of Yellow River, generating heavy sediments and forming a sandbank. To reduce the disaster hazard, the engineering measures and upstream reservoir control as well as a hydrological forecasting system are in high demanded.