January 2, 2024 21:26 Source: People’s Daily Overseas Edition
Xinjiang has systematically managed the Tarim River for many years.
Dry river regains vitality
[Closer shot]”There is more water and the environment has improved. I no longer have to worry about the sheep at home having nothing to eat. My income has increased in the past few years, which I couldn’t even imagine before.” Living in Tarim River, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Nur Maimaiti from a village near Taitma Lake in Weulu said.
The Tarim River is the longest inland river in China, with a drainage area of more than 1 million square kilometers. There are nearly 17 million acres of natural Populus euphratica forest in the basin, which is an important ecological barrier.
However, for a long time, the natural woodlands, grasslands, wildlife habitats and waters of the Tarim River Basin have shrunk, nearly 400 kilometers of river courses downstream of the main stream have been cut off, and large areas of Populus euphratica forests on both sides have died. In order to improve the harsh ecological environment in the basin, since 2001, the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region has begun to implement comprehensive management of the Tarim River Basin.
Over the past 20 years, a series of comprehensive treatments such as water-saving transformation, river management, and basin water resource dispatch management have been implemented one after another. Thanks to multi-pronged and coordinated management, the Tarim River has ended its history of drying up, and both sides of the river have regained life.
Shaya County, Aksu Prefecture, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, is located on the northern edge of the Tarim Basin. The Tarim River crosses the county from west to east. There are more than 4.7 million acres of Populus euphratica forest on both sides of the river.
In winter, the poplar trees stand proudly and unyieldingly in the ice and snow, with rime hanging all over the treetops, as if thousands of pear trees are in bloom. In 2016, Xinjiang launched a comprehensive ecological protection action for the Populus euphratica forest in the Tarim River Basin, focusing on improving the natural ecological recovery capacity of the Populus euphratica forest in the Tarim River Basin.
The relevant person in charge of the Shaya County Forestry and Grassland Bureau said that in order to restore the growth of Populus euphratica forest, since 2016, the local area has used the annual flood season of the Tarim River to divert more than 800 million cubic meters of water and irrigate 2 million acres of natural Populus euphratica forest, basically achieving the goal of restoring the growth of Populus euphratica forest in water-scarce areas. Irrigation is carried out every five years. “Roughly estimated, since the implementation of the water diversion project, about 30,000 acres of new forest land have been added.”
In order to protect the ecology of Populus euphratica forest and surrounding grasslands, Shaya County has established 19 management and protection stations with a total of 260 management and protection personnel. Aishan Ayiti, director of the Dalangtang Mu Center Management Center, discovered during daily patrols that there are more and more wild animals such as yellow sheep and eagles, and the ecological environment is getting better day by day.
In recent years, new forces have been continuously added to the management and protection of the Tarim River.
After three years of construction, the Tarim River Basin has now established a comprehensive observation system of natural resource elements covering the entire mainstream area. Two central observation stations and six field observation stations will provide more detailed data support for the management and protection of the Tarim River.
In Xinjiang, ecological improvements have been achieved through collaborative management not only of the Tarim River, but also of the Toutun River, Aksu River, etc. In recent years, Xinjiang has continued to promote the integrated system management of “mountains, rivers, forests, fields, lakes, grass and sand”, recreating the ecological beauty of smooth rivers, clear water, beautiful green shores, and harmony between people and water, achieving a win-win situation for development and protection. (People’s Daily Overseas Edition reporter Liu Fawei)
2024-01-02 13:26:06
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