Ordos channels Yellow River water to combat desertification

Updated: May 31, 2018 Print

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An aerial view of sand dunes in Hanggin Banner, Ordos, Inner Mongolia autonomous region. [Photo/WeChat account of Ordos]

The city of Ordos in the Inner Mongolian autonomous region has been praised for its innovations in the channeling of water from the Yellow River during its ice-flow period to irrigate surrounding land, according to a local media organization.

The Yellow River runs 249 kilometers through Hanggin Banner, Ordos, more than through any other of the nation’s counties.

Every year, 31 billion cubic meters of water streams through the area. The large volume of water may threaten residents living nearby during especially cold winters.

Between late November and late March next year, Hanggin Banner could see a 120-day ice-flow that would significantly hinder the flow of water, accumulate ice and likely cause flooding. Meanwhile, the nearby Kubuqi Desert suffers from a lack of water.

Since 2013, local authorities have invited experts, including academics from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, to conduct on-the-spot investigations into the feasibility of redirecting the ice flow for a more beneficial result.

In 2015, trials were conducted to see whether previous reports were correctly predicting the project’s success, with research teams determining it likely to succeed.

According to Liu Haiquan, director of the local water resources department, the effects of introducing water from the Yellow River were made obvious during the ice-flow period. In 2016, statistics showed more than 90 percent of trees planted on the 14 square kilometers had managed to survive due to the redirection of water from the Yellow River.

Already 40 million yuan ($6.23 million) has been invested in the project, with 38.03 kilometers of diversion canal and 17.35 kilometers of diking having already been constructed.

The current areas in the desert receiving water amount to 11.3 square kilometers, the size of two West Lakes in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province. A wetland area of 36 square kilometers is being formed by the project.

Thanks to environmental improvements, some local residents have begun raising cattle around the grazing areas transformed from desert. They choose not to keep the cattle in pens, instead setting them free to roam vast green areas, grazing freely on healthy grass and clean water.

An increasing number of tourists now travel to the area for entertainment as local authorities accelerate plans to develop a strong tourism industry.