All parts of China have actively pushed forward the construction of water conservancy infrastructure since the beginning of this year, which has played a positive role in stabilizing economic growth and employment, official data showed on Saturday.
From January to June, an investment of 569 billion yuan (about 78.3 billion U.S. dollars) was made in water conservancy projects nationwide, a year-on-year increase of 9.9 percent. The relevant projects received paid-up investment of over a trillion yuan (about 237.6 billion U.S. dollars) during the six-month period, a year-on-year increase of 29.2 percent, according to the data released by the Ministry of Water Resources.
The construction of the water conservancy projects has so far led to the employment of 1.2305 million rural laborers, a year-on-year increase of 19.18 percent.
In the first half of the year, 34 major water conservancy projects saw their construction started, including the Guxian Hydropower Project on the Yellow River section in Shaanxi Province in the northwest, the Jingling Reservoir on the Cao'e River in Zhejiang Province in the east, and the Xiaoqing River project in Hebei Province in the north.
"From January to June this year, 38,000 new water conservancy projects began construction nationwide, a year-on-year increase of 23 percent. This includes more than 7,800 projects funded by proceeds from an additional issuance of treasury bonds, and all of them have commenced construction," said Xie Yibin, inspector with the planning department of the Ministry of Water Resources, in an interview with China Central Television.
China advances construction of water conservancy infrastructure
China advances construction of water conservancy infrastructure
A new chapter has been opened in the decades-old campaign of fighting desertification in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region as the 3,046-km green belt encircling the Taklimakan Desert in the region was completed on November 28, 2024.
The Taklimakan Desert, once known as the "sea of death," covers 337,600 square kilometers and its circumference measures 3,046 km, making it the largest desert in China and the second-largest drifting desert in the world.
It has taken more than 40 years to fully enclose the desert with a green belt. This incredible achievement is part of China's Three-North Shelterbelt Forest Program, the world's largest afforestation initiative. The program was launched in 1978 and is scheduled to be completed by 2050.
Xinjiang's commitment to fighting desertification did not waver following the green belt's completion. Instead, the region is continuing to expand and fortify the belt to achieve broader ecological management objectives.
Despite subzero temperatures and recent snowfall, the relentless work at the sand control site persists.
In Yutian County on the edge of the Taklimakan Desert, workers are busy leveling a 530-hectare piece of sandy land for the forthcoming ecological conservation endeavors.
"It's been almost a month, and we'll work for another three or four days, and then we'll have leveled it out here," said a bulldozer driver working on-site.
In Luopu County also on the edge of the Taklimakan Desert, workers are preparing red willow branches in nurseries for planting across more than 400 hectares of desert in the coming spring. Indigenous sand-fixing plants like sacsaoul and red willow are poised to assume important roles in fighting desertification the upcoming year.
The green belt surrounding the Taklimakan Desert not only emphasizes ecological conservation but also highlights economic progress. Through photovoltaic projects, the region is pioneering a novel ecological management strategy aimed at achieving dual objectives of environmental preservation and economic prosperity. This approach not only aids in fighting desertification, but also promises economic benefits, propelling sustainable development in the area.
Presently, the construction of a photovoltaic project within the Taklimakan Desert is busy underway, with workers installing solar panels. By spring, sand fixing plants like alfalfa and Chinese fountain grass will be planted below these panels, making the project a good example for the exploration of a new win-win model of ecological governance and economic development in Xinjiang.
Xinjiang opens new chapter in fighting desertification
