Melted snow helps curb sandstorms in Qinghai |
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http://www.qhnews.com ¡¡
2005-04-26 11:34
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QHNEWS -- Northwest China's Qinghai Province has for two years diverted melting snow from Kunlun Mountains to irrigate arid land and curb sandstorms, local officials said Monday.
The Mang'ai area of the Mongolian-Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Haixi, the notorious Gobi desert origin of sandstorms that hit north China in spring, is now covered with some 1,000 hectares of trees and grass since it began to divert melted snow in 2003, said Liu Bajin, an official in Mangya.
Liu said the local government decided in 2003 to irrigate more than 3,300 hectares of forests with snow water for 10 years at thecost of 70 million yuan (8.4 million US dollars).
"We've spent 20 million yuan (sine 2.4 million US dollars) digging canals, and have diverted snow water from two rivers on the eastern and western sides of Kunlun Mountains to run small hydropower projects," he said.
He said the project also involves building of a 2,000-hectare ecological zone and betterment of some 6,000 hectares of grassland.
The State Meteorological Bureau said that sandy land extends 700,000 square kilometers in Qinghai, Gansu and the southern part of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. The Mangya area in the western part of the Qaidam Basin is at the center of this dusty belt.
"Mang'ai area reports an annual rainfall of less than 40 millimeters and is ravaged by strong winds at least 180 days a year," said Lu Guoxiang, a local meteorologist. "The area has about 10 strong sandstorms yearly, the worst of which could affectnorth and east China."
Melted snow has helped greatly in easing sandstorms, said Lu. "Plus the intensified forestation efforts in Gansu and Xinjiang, we're having fewer sandstorms this spring." Enditem (April 26, 2005)
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