A project to improve Tianchi Lake in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region at a cost of 300 million yuan (US$38.5 million) is currently underway. The two-phase project is expected to be completed in three years.

In the first phase, the focus will be on removing sludge and building flood control dams. The second phase will deal with ecological protection and reinforcement in the lake's more dangerous sections.

On completion of the project, the total area of the lake will be enlarged to roughly 20 square kilometers. Tianchi Lake is a well-known tourist spot in China but with the rapid degradation of the grasslands, it is faced with heavy sedimentation from soil erosion.

(www.cnr.cn June 28, 2007)