Tens of thousands of migratory birds are flocking to the Hongjiannao National Nature Reserve in northwest China's Shaanxi Province for a stopover of their overwintering migration.
About 20,000 to 30,000 birds, including whooper swans, mallards and bean geese, arrived at the nature reserve in recent days as colder weather pushes the birds to migrate south for overwintering habitation. They were spotted flying, resting up, swimming or foraging in the nature reserve.
The lake in the nature reserve, China's largest desert freshwater lake, has become the world's leading breeding ground for the relict gulls, which is under first-class national protection in China.
With expansive water areas and abundant food resources, the nature reserve, located along the central route of China's three migratory pathways for birds, serves as an ideal site for rest and energy replenishment for migratory birds.
Nature reserve in Shaanxi lures flocks of migratory birds for overwintering stopover
A Chinese-built water supply project was officially handed over to the Angolan government in Cabinda Province on Monday and is predicted to benefit more than 600,000 people in the country.
Built by China Railway 20th Bureau Group Corporation Limited (CR20) since 2017, the Cabinda water supply project is the largest livelihood project invested by Angola in the province and represents the most advanced, intelligent, and modern water supply system in the country.
For many years, residents of Cabinda Province suffered from water shortage due to a lack of infrastructure, with most of them relying on water delivery trucks for daily usage.
Now, the project is expected to help solve the local water shortage problem and allowed many villagers to directly access tap water for the first time, said Yuan Xuefeng, the operation and maintenance manager of Cabinda water supply project.
"After being approved and delivered, the project can benefit 90 percent of the residential areas in Cabinda Province and meet the water needs of 600,000 people, greatly improving local residents' plight of water scarcity and poor water quality," explained Yuan.
The water supply project is comprised of 74 centralized points, with the capacity to supply 50,000 cubic meters of water per day. Throughout its construction period, over 1,000 employment opportunities were generated by the construction company for individuals in Cabinda Province.
China-aided water supply project in Angola completed
