North China's Hebei Province will inject 22.5 billion yuan ( US$2.7 billion) into sand-control programs around Beijing and Tianjin, according to a provincial forestry official.
The budget includes 17.4 billion yuan (US$2 billion) from the central government. The program, designed for the 2001-2010 period, will benefit Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei and the neighboring regions, said the official.
Over 570,000 hectares of farmland in these regions will be turned into forests and grassland and another 570,000 hectares of waste land will be covered with trees, according to governmental sources.
The sand control efforts also include grassland preservation, water conservancy and water-saving irrigation projects that aim to recover and preserve vegetation and curb desertification in north China.
Early this year, senior Chinese government leaders called on Hebei to rein in desertification in the areas around Zhangjiakou and Chengde cities to the north of Beijing, which have become a major source of sandstorms striking Beijing in spring.
(Xinhua News Agency November 28, 2001)
