Ecological Governance Paints a Beautiful Picture Project | Ecology | Picture Scroll

Looking at Xinjiang in Four Seasons: Looking at Xinjiang along Rivers and Lakes

Guangming Daily reporter Zhao Minghao Shangjie

On the endless yellow sand, patches of plants such as the shuttle tree and red willow are thriving. In the Aiximan area of Awati County, Aksu Prefecture, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, wild animals such as Tarim rabbits, foxes, and pheasants that were once difficult to find in the "Sea of Death" now occasionally show their traces

For many years, Aisiman Lake and its surrounding areas, located in the depression of the Aksu River alluvial fan, have been continuously invaded by the southern Taklamakan Desert, causing the lake area to gradually shrink and the ecological environment to be fragile. It has become the largest source of wind and sand within the Aksu Oasis.

"In 2022, the ecological restoration and desertification control project in the Aiximan Lake region was officially launched. This project is part of the fifth million acre ecological control project in the Aksu region and is also a sub project of the Aksu Mountains, Rivers, Forests, Fields, Lakes, Grassland and Sand Integrated Protection and Restoration Project. The project covers an area of 651300 acres and will be completed in 5 years." Jiang Lili, Deputy Director of the Awati County Forestry and Grassland Bureau, said that after completion, this area will effectively prevent wind and sand damage to the Taklamakan Desert and build a strong ecological barrier.

At present, the Aisiman region has completed artificial afforestation of 40000 acres, with a survival rate of over 75%. The increasingly abundant wetland resources in the lake area have also attracted a large number of migratory birds to breed and overwinter, becoming another unique landscape on the edge of the desert.

"Improving the ecological environment is a major task for the benefit of future generations. I walk 20 kilometers every day, inspecting forests and repairing pipelines, striving to ensure that every seedling can take root in the desert. Yusufujiang Alimu, a forest ranger at the Awati County Forest Management Station, has been stationed in this gradually growing desert oasis since the project was launched. At the age of 36, he proudly said," My grandfather and father are also forest rangers. Over the years, we have become rich in desertification control. Now not only has the environment improved, but cotton production has been increasing year by year. The villagers have also planted new crops such as chili peppers and walnuts, and their wallets are bulging day by day. "

The Aksu region is located on the northwest edge of the Taklamakan Desert, with the desert area accounting for 31% of the total area of the region. In the 1980s, in the face of extreme weather conditions such as raging winds and yellow sand, the vast majority of cadres and the masses carried out a vigorous afforestation campaign.

"We always believe that planting trees is about planting wealth, and ecological beauty can make the people rich," Adili Aili, Deputy Secretary of the Aksu Municipal Committee and Commissioner of the Administration, told reporters. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the region has accumulated 88.85 million trees and 5.184 million mu of afforestation, and the national forest area has increased from 13.4 million mu in 2012 to 17.33 million mu.

It is not enough to only control desertification and sow greenery. The Aksu people have further put in great effort in scientific water management, vigorously promoting the construction of an agricultural water-saving system by "using water to determine greenery, water to determine land, water to determine people, and water to determine production", and continuously promoting the optimization and efficient utilization of water resources.

In Shaya, a major cotton planting county, Adili Abulizi, a member of the Nurbage Township Party Committee, is leading cotton field management personnel to inspect agricultural machinery and water usage, preparing for the upcoming harvest season. In the vast cotton fields, there is only one large plant protection drone spraying defoliant back and forth.

"In the process of promoting the construction of an agricultural water-saving system, we have achieved a leap towards modern agriculture." Adili said, "Now, cotton fields can save 23% of water and 30% of fertilizer per mu, and the yield of seed cotton has increased from 285 kilograms in 2017 to 405 kilograms last year."

In the northeast of Aksu region, there is still a hidden expectation for the future among the Tianshan Mountains. Heading up the Aksu River, in the Dashixia Gorge of the Kumarak River tributary, the Dashixia Water Conservancy Hub project is under intense construction. As one of the 172 major water conservancy projects for water-saving and water supply in the country, the project is scheduled to be completed in October 2026.

"The prominent problem facing southern Xinjiang is the shortage and uneven distribution of water resources. After the completion of the Dashixia Water Conservancy Hub Project, it will effectively improve the supply-demand contradiction of water resources in the Aksu River Basin, reduce flood disasters in the basin, and ensure the ecological water use of the Tarim River, which is of great significance to the economic and social development of the southern Xinjiang region." At the construction site, Li Mingde, the Minister of Engineering of Xinjiang Gezhouba Dashixia Water Conservancy Hub Development Co., Ltd., pointed to the high mountains on both sides of the dam and said, "The project is steadily advancing, with the dam height exceeding 160 meters. After completion, the dam will be 247 meters high, shoulder to shoulder with the mountains on both sides, and it will also break the world record for the highest concrete faced gravel dam. Everyone is looking forward to the completion as soon as possible

Guangming Daily

[