County in Hebei restores flood-stricken farmland for a fruitful spring

Residents and government officials in Laishui county of Baoding, North China's Hebei province have recently been busy restoring their farmland that had been largely ruined by a severe flood in August, with the aim of having a normal harvest in the spring next year.

At Magezhuang village in Sanpo town, excavators and trucks could be seen here and there clearing rocks and debris left by the flood or leveling the soil. Villagers held iron shovels, clearing fallen trees or repairing irrigation channels and roads.

Located in a mountainous area, the village mainly relies on the planting of crops or medicinal herbs for income. It has cultivated fields of about 133 hectares, with 544 households and 1,496 residents.

Unfortunately, over half of the farmland was destroyed by the flood.

"Villagers were accustomed to growing vegetables and crops by themselves. To make sure they can grow the plants as usual in winter and have a good harvest in spring, we decided to restore the land," the village's Party chief Gao Wenguang said.

According to Gao, they had to clear the rocks and debris and transport them away, then lay at least 50 centimeters of crushed and sieved sludge, and finally level the land before it could be used for growing plants.

"We started in early October, and have restored nearly 1.3 hectares of land," Gao said, adding that some villagers have already planted vegetables and they will be able to eat them in the near future.

At present, more than 20 hectares of land have been restored in the county, according to local government. The land restoration project in the flood-stricken areas of the county is proceeding in an orderly manner, with high enthusiasm and great support among villagers, it added.