Decades of ecological work transforms landscape in Juungar Banner

Flourishing apple trees are grown from the arsenic sandstone in Deshengyouliang village of Nuanshui township, Juungar Banner, Inner Mongolia autonomous region. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn] 

Over the past six decades, Juungar Banner, Inner Mongolia autonomous region, has witnessed an ecological transformation on the arsenic sandstone, once dubbed the "cancer of the Earth", through local people's unremitting efforts.

In the lush month of June, visitors can see heavy clusters of fruit hanging from branches in the apple orchards of Deshengyouliang village in Nuanshui township.

The flourishing apple trees are grown from the arsenic sandstone.

This photo from 2013 shows the initial results of the treatment of arsenic sandstone in Deshengyouliang village of Nuanshui township, Juungar Banner, Inner Mongolia autonomous region. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Sixty years ago, the place presented a desolate sight with severe soil erosion and barren land, making farming life unbearably harsh.

"At that time, my grandfather and father tried to plant foxtail millet, sorghum, potatoes and corn on the arsenic sandstone, but almost every year, they had little harvest," said Hua Shengming, a villager from Deshengyouliang.

Flourishing apple trees are grown from the arsenic sandstone in Deshengyouliang village of Nuanshui township, Juungar Banner, Inner Mongolia autonomous region. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

In the 1990s, the first apple trees were planted on the arsenic sandstone of Nuanshui township. Now, 180 hectares of land have been used for apple orchards, with a yield of 1.6 million kilograms in 2023.

Located at the S-shaped bend of the Yellow River, Juungar Banner is one of the areas along the Yellow River that suffers from severe soil erosion.

The total area of the entire banner is 7,692 square kilometers, with the arsenic sandstone region alone covering 5,807 square kilometers.

A photo of 2023 shows that green vegetation had covered the arsenic sandstone in Deshengyouliang village of Nuanshui township, Juungar Banner, Inner Mongolia autonomous region. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn] 

Since the 1950s and 1960s, the banner has implemented ecological sand control measures, such as planting seabuckthorn on the arsenic sandstone, constructing silt dams on the Loess Plateau, and comprehensive watershed management projects.

"After decades of exploration, the arsenic sandstone control in the banner has formed a three-line defense control model," said Liu Jun, a senior engineer at the Water Conservancy Development Center of Juungar Banner. "Through the layered defense of the three lines, a comprehensive control system has been established, and in some areas, a microclimate has been created, significantly improving the ecological environment."

So far, 61.8 percent of the arsenic sandstone land in the banner has been treated, setting an example for arsenic sandstone control in the entire Yellow River region.

This photo from 2003 shows the severe soil erosion and barren land in Deshengyouliang village of Nuanshui township, Juungar Banner, Inner Mongolia autonomous region. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]