In recent days, a small-scale and short-term strong sandstorm hit the Liangzhou District of Wuwei City in Gansu Province and the first horse farm of Shandan. This was the first local strong sandstorm to hit the Hexi Corridor area of Gansu this spring. In contrast to previous years, however, Minqin, which is the most sensitive and prone area for sandstorms near these two areas, did not experience a sandstorm. Experts believe that this is related to the improvement of Minqin's ecological environment.
Qian Li, Director of the Wuwei Meteorological Observatory, introduced that by analyzing regional sandstorm data from Wuwei over the past 60 years, it was found that whenever a sandstorm appeared in Liangzhou, Gulang, and Tianzhu, Minqin would simultaneously experience a sandstorm or even a strong sandstorm.
Analyzing the reasons why Minqin did not experience a sandstorm this time, the meteorological department of Wuwei believed that aside from being somewhat related to weather and climate circulation patterns, it also had a significant relationship with the improvement of Minqin's ecological environment. At the end of 2007, the State Council decided and approved an investment of more than 4.7 billion yuan to comprehensively manage the ecological environment of the Shiyang River Basin where Minqin is located, aiming to curb the continuous deterioration of Minqin's ecology. With national support, Wuwei City developed water-saving and efficient facility agriculture while closing wells and reducing farmland, actively implementing artificial rain (snow) enhancement operations, increasing the amount of water flowing into Minqin from the Shiyang River from less than 8 million cubic meters in 2007 to 276 million cubic meters in 2011.
Due to the increased inflow of water from the Shiyang River, Qingtu Lake, which had been dry for 51 years within Minqin's territory, has reappeared as a seasonal body of water covering nearly 10 square kilometers. Some closed machine wells have become self-flowing springs, and nearly 100,000 mu of reeds are thriving in the natural conservation area of Jihe Township in Minqin.
Data from the Wuwei meteorological department also showed that Minqin County had a total atmospheric dust deposition of 473 tons per square kilometer in 2011, which was the lowest year in recent years. The basin's humidity index ranged between 0.0593-0.2035, making the climate relatively humid, and the desert ecosystem was the best it had been in recent years. (Reported by Zhu Guoliang)