Since January, the volume of the sources feeding the Yellow River has been reduced, but the amount of pollution pouring into the middle reaches of the Wei and Fen Rivers (both tributaries of the Yellow River) from factories has only increased. Water gushing out of the Sanmen Gorge Reservoir is the color of a brown sauce with white foam drifting across the surface.

Experts point out that tighter environmental controls on the Huai and Taihu Rivers, encouraged the "offending industries" to relocated to the middle reaches of the Yellow River area. This was a cheaper solution rather than applying the environmental controls.

The wide range of industries that took the opportunity to move, made it difficult to track the environmental outputs. This is exacerbated by the fact that pollution is monitored by two departments whose demarcation of responsibility has been blurred. The Water Conservation Department is only responsible for things at the water-line and in the pumps, but not on the banks, and the Environment Protection Department has no responsibility for what happens in the water. Meanwhile, pollution continues to escalate as the two Departments claim to have no jurisdiction over the emissions.