A 100,000-hectare water conservation project kicked off recently in the highlands of Nanhua Mountain in Haiyuan, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region.

The project selects saplings with big roots and good water storage capacity in a bid to ease the water shortage faced by the 150,000 people in the county.

Nanhua Mountain, nicknamed "Mother Mountain," is the primary water source for Haiyuan. To restore and protect its environment, Ningxia has planted 30,000 hectares of trees during the 11th Five Year Plan period (2005-2010).

The Ningxia government will relocate all residents, or 350,000 people, in the most poverty-stricken areas with severe water shortage in the highland area in the next five years.