Sieren's China: Silk against sand

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http://www.dw.com/en/sierens-china-silk-against-sand/a-18625645



The haboob looms over Phoenix, as seen from the NWS office.

Sieren's China: Silk against sand
Frank Sieren
04.08.2015

One of China's worst enemies is its deserts. They have infertile soil, a scarcity of water and sand storms. Moreover, they are expanding. The sandstorms in the spring and fall can even be felt in Beijing. Fertile land is turning into sandy soil where hardly anything can grow.

A fifth of China's surface is already feeling the impact - about 1.73 million square kilometers (670,000 square miles) have been lost to sand in the past 50 years. Some 400 million Chinese citizens are directly affected by the consequences of dry soil, especially in the northwest and west of China. In Inner Mongolia, almost 50 percent of the soil has dried up, whereas in Xinjiang province the same is true for nearly 65 percent. These are also the regions that are feeling the worst impact from the sandstorms, which can be up to 100 meters (328 feet) high and whip up force 9 gales.

This is not a new problem for the Chinese government. There have been studies about desertification in China since 1977 when the first was commissioned by a UN conference. The reasons are also known: overgrazing, erroneous cultivation methods, as well as natural causes such as wind and water erosion because land is not protected satisfactorily. There aren't enough trees anywhere.

The government has long sought a solution, but this is difficult. Every year, some 1,700 square kilometers are won back from the sand, but the deserts continue to expand. The same problem that is encountered in the West prevails. Nobody really knows how to motivate people, in this case farmers, to behave in a way that is environmentally-friendly.