20071002 Premier vows to curb desertification

clipped from www.chinadaily.com.cn BEIJING -- China should make utmost efforts to control  desertification and sandification and rebuild the ecological system, said Premier Wen Jiabao during his visit to Minqin County of northwest China's Gansu Province on Monday. Lying between the two deserts of Tengger and Badain Jaran, Minqin county is the only oasis in that area. He urged local governments to protect glaciers on upstream Qilianshan Mountain, regulate the water use and plant trees. The county is one of the major places where sand storm originates in northwest China, and the reservoir plays a vital role in preventing desertification in the locality. The ground water level of Minqin county has dropped half to one meter in the past 20 years due to the overuse of water resources and Hongyashan Reservoir in Minqin County, the biggest man-made desert reservoir in Asia, is diminishing. Some of the villagers have been moved out of the county to other areas, with richer water resources, in a bid to ease the pressure of water use.