Ningxia curbs expansion of Tengger Desert

Zhongwei's sand containment project stabilizes dunes, protects region

The completion of a sand stabilization and desert-edge containment project in Zhongwei, Ningxia Hui autonomous region, on Monday marks a significant step in China's efforts to curb the expansion of the Tengger Desert.

The project resulted in the creation of a barrier that is 153 kilometers long and 10 to 38 km wide along the southeastern edge of the Tengger Desert, China's fourth-largest desert, which spans 42,700 square km across parts of the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, Gansu province and Ningxia.

To combat shifting sands, workers embedded brush-like straw ropes into the desert floor, forming 1-square-meter grids known as straw checkerboards to stabilize the surface and prevent erosion.