According to the Water Resources Bureau of Xinjiang Autonomous Region, in 2007, 1.247 billion yuan will be spent treating the Tarim River. There are four new projects, and these will help further harmonious development between water resources, the environment, economy, and society.

According to reports from the Xinjiang Daily, the comprehensive treatment project started six years ago. This year's investment of 1.247 billion yuan brings the total, accumulative investment to 6.354 billion yuan. This year the government will begin building river dredging infrastructure in the lower reaches of the Khotan River and the Yarkant River, a sluice gate in the middle reaches of the Khotan River and Daxihaizi, a remote control system for water regulation, and an environmental protection project in the main stream of the Tarim River. Forty projects will be finished, increasing the number of completed projects to ninety.

To repair the fragile environment along the Tarim River, China's longest inland river, the State Council approved plans to treat the river in 2001. The government agreed to invest a total of 10.739 billion yuan into the project and tried to apply comprehensive measures to protect the river, such as water conservation, water transportation and water storage to improve the surrounding vegetation. It has also been trying to raise the water table to prevent the Taklimakan Desert and Kumtagh Desert from linking.

By People's Daily Online