China's capital is pushing forward its sandstorm control program by growing more trees at the source areas in its suburban areas and neighboring Tianjin, Hebei, Shanxiand Inner Mongolia.

By 2008, the capital will have developed 20,000 hectares of deserts and wasteland and revamped 68,700 hectares of forests in these areas, in order to put the notorious dust storms under control by 2020, said Wang Sumei, deputy director of the municipal forestry administration, Thursday.

Beijing began to implement sandstorm source harnessing program in 2000, and has made great progress, Wang told a press conference to mark the world day for desertification and drought control.

Over the past four years, 158,079 hectares of forests had been cultivated, and as a result, no serious sandstorms have occurred in Beijing in the spring over the last two years, Wang said.

Currently, green areas cover some 47.5 percent of the total area of Beijing.

Source: Xinhua