Asia's largest artificial desert reservoir, Minqin Hongyashan
Reservoir, recently kicked off its water saving project in Minqin
County, Gansu Province, with a total investment of 90 million
yuan(US$12.16 million), Chinanews.com reported.
This project will curb further ecological deterioration in
Minqin County by saving 25.81 million cubic meters of water
annually.
Minqin Hongyashan Reservoir (file
photo)
Eighteen institutions will implement the water
conservation project for the Hongyashan irrigation area.
This project is expected to be completed by October 31, 2008. By
then, the project will greatly improve not only the basic
production conditions for irrigation agriculture in this area but
also increase water efficiency use in order to rationally
distribute water resources and reduce water consumption. The
project will reduce 25.81 million cubic meters of water used for
irrigation and save 171.11 million yuan (US$23.12 million) each
year.
Located along the Hexi Corridor of Gansu, Minqin County was once
part of the renowned "Silk Road" in ancient times. Today the area
is considered the "throat" of the Euro-Asian Continental Bridge,
with Qilianshan to its south and Tengger Desert and Badanjilin
Desert to its north. Minqin Oasis lies just between these two
deserts.
Minqin's special geological position, along with local
residents' irrational production activities, has compounded the
serious ecological deterioration of the region's environment:
strong winds and sandstorms occur frequently; ground water levels
continue to decline and the Minqin Oasis has shrunk sharply.
The Shiyang River is the source of Minqin Oasis. With its sudden
decline the Minqin Oasis has virtually turned into a desert island
and has now become one of the four largest sandstorm sources in
China.
The Hongyashang Reservoir, built in 1958 in Minqin County of
Gansu, was constructed to save Minqin County and Minqin Oasis. The
reservoir is Asia's largest artificial desert reservoir, with water
storage of 127 million cubic meters. It irrigates 900,000
mu (60,030 hectares) of Minqin land and is seen as Minqin
people's "source of life" in the desert.
(China.org.cn by Zhang Ming'ai, December 10, 2007)
