Chapter 317 Overflowing Underground Spring

What is the biggest fear of ecological water transfer?
It is a loss of course.

Due to the construction of dams to store water, the lower reaches of many rivers have already dried up.

Even from a distance on the highway, you can see that the riverbed is covered with a thick layer of wind-blown sand.

The river channel is located in an extremely arid desert area, and July to September each year is the peak period for production water use.

Leakage, evaporation, plant consumption…

Multiple factors make ecological water transfer extremely difficult.

But water-conserving plants such as Hanhai kenaf can solve this problem.

Guo Yang naturally agreed with the ecological water transfer plan, and it is best to have water from upstream.

It’s just that Guo Yang was very curious.

How does the West Lake Wetland maintain such a large wetland when there is no water coming from upstream?

……

At noon, the group arrived at a farm in Dunhuang Farm.

Guo Yang contacted the accommodation place in advance.

The farm is like a small town, with spacious and clean streets, neat and uniform well-off houses, and surrounded by green oasis and fertile fields.

Cotton bolls are in bloom, and watermelons, melons and grapes are gradually ripening.

The farm also focuses on agricultural tourism.

It is not far from the city, and is within sight of the Mogao Grottoes, Mingsha Mountain, Crescent Lake, Yadan landform and other attractions.

The farm that Guo Yang asked Tianhe to find was just an ordinary farm.

But in the yard, Wang Zhong, the manager of Dunhuang Farm, appeared, while the owner of the farm was standing aside.

"Hey, Mr. Guo, I'm coming here uninvited. I hope I won't disturb you?"

"Secretary Wang is joking."

Guo Yang exchanged polite greetings with Wang Zhong and Fan Xuejun for a while, and had no intention of introducing other people.

The group walked into the spacious restaurant.

All kinds of fruits and vegetables are available.

Secretary Wang smiled and said, "To be honest, Boss Guo, Tianhe has a strong influence in Dunhuang Farm!"

Guo Yang showed a puzzled expression.

As for the Yinma Farm in Yumen, he has been there several times, but he has never been to the Dunhuang Farm even once.

Wang Zhong pointed at Fan Xuejun and said:
"A few years ago, Lao Fan came to the farm and contracted more than 1,000 acres of land. The year before last, Tianhe promoted cotton seeds, and Fan Xuejun cooperated with Tianhe. That year, the cotton products and quality were the best in Dunhuang."

"By the end of the year, we not only built a well-off house, but also took out a loan to build this commercial mountain resort that integrates accommodation and catering."

"Guess what?"

The words of Wang Zhong, the farm secretary and director, made everyone feel like they were reading a book about how to get rich.

In a short time, he attracted the attention of the group, and they kept looking at Fan Xuejun from the side.

"What happened in the end, Secretary?"

"This kid took the lead in planting Tianhe's cotton seeds last year and made a lot of money, paying off the loan."

Fan Xuejun smiled and said, "I will still focus on growing cotton this year. Tianhe's seeds are really good."

Everyone recalled that the cotton in the cotton fields was indeed good.

Wang Zhong said: "This year, all the cotton planters on the farm have switched to Tianhe's Tianmian 20."

Wang Zhong was simply finding different ways to praise Tianhe, and others also noticed the charm.

The dishes were served one after another.

With the topic of farm cotton, the scene became quite lively, and after a while of drinking and drinking, everyone was content.

The meat show is coming.

Wang Zhong said: "Mr. Guo, Dunhuang Farm is in some trouble. I hope Jiahe can lend a hand."

"Secretary Wang, if you have anything to say, just tell me."

“The farm wants to fully promote water-saving drip irrigation, but lacks start-up capital.”

It turned out that the Dunhuang Farm was located in the lower reaches of the Dang River and the Shule River, and was very short of water, which limited the farm's area and output.

Fan Xuejun followed Tianhe and used sub-membrane drip irrigation technology to grow cotton, with particularly outstanding benefits.

Dunhuang Farm also applied for a loan from the Agricultural Reclamation Bureau and built 2,000 mu of drip irrigation. This year, the energy saving and income increase are visible.

The farm covers a total area of ​​nearly 3 acres.

Dunhuang Farm does not have the financial resources to fully promote water-saving drip irrigation.

Guo Yang pondered for a moment.

It means it can be considered.

However, the mode of cooperation needs to be considered. Guo Yang prefers Jiahe to invest in building a factory and build its own water-saving irrigation equipment and drip irrigation tape production line.

Then when promoting to the farm, the price and payment time can be negotiated.

This method can also be rolled out in surrounding areas. There is a great demand for it in the Shule River, Dang River, Minqin's Shiyang River and other river basins.

The cost of water-saving irrigation is not low now.

But the technology is not particularly advanced.

In the sandy soil of the Northwest, blockage is not that serious.

By the way, if we can improve water conservation and technical capabilities, the sticky soil in southern orchards can also be used.

After reaching a cooperation intention, Wang Zhong was satisfied and there was no more trouble afterwards.

……

"I admire Mr. Guo for his courage. He negotiated an investment in a casual manner."

After dinner, under the poplar tree in the yard, Guo Yang, Ding Lei and others drank tea and casually sent the water-saving drip irrigation project to Miao Lanchun of the Strategic Investment Department.

"How long does it take Mr. Ding to approve a project?"

"How can that be possible? When we are busy, we have to discuss more than a dozen or even dozens of projects a day."

"Me too, hundreds of thousands a minute."

"Well, almost."

Wang Xunfang was lying on a bamboo chair, looking up at the blue sky.

Why are these two people so childish?
In the afternoon, the group separated.

Most people on NetEase chose to visit attractions such as Mogao Grottoes.

Guo Yang took the team and the rest of the people to Mingsha Mountain and Crescent Lake, where they could also learn about some of the conditions of the desert.

Crescent Lake is surrounded by Singing Sand Mountain on all sides, with "sand and water coexisting, mountain and spring coexisting", forming a world-famous desert wonder.

However, when Guo Yang and his party rode camels to climb Mingsha Mountain.

All that was seen was a “candle in the wind”, with the area reduced to only a few acres.

Everyone from Jiahe who came to investigate was silent.

It's just a small pond.

Signs of drying up are evident.

Maybe the scenic spot is secretly transporting water at night.

Lian Cun, the leader of the seed collection team, sighed, "Legend has it that Crescent Moon Spring was commonly known as the Medicinal Spring in ancient times. The spring contains iron-backed fish and seven-star grass, which can prolong life if eaten by humans."

Guo Yang smiled and said, "If there are, do you still want to collect seeds?"

"Of course." Lian Cun said, "Dean Bi said that this is the duty of the seed hunters."

The conversation between the two calmed the others down.

"A glimpse of the whole picture shows that the drop in the water level of Crescent Lake is just a microcosm of the drop in the groundwater level of the entire Dunhuang Basin."

"Population growth, expansion of arable land, and construction of dams to store water are the main reasons."

On the sand dune, Niu Hulin turned his head and looked at his partners who had worked together on many projects.

"This project is indeed quite difficult!"

"But this is not a reason to back down. Every time there was a huge amount of difficulty, we solved it in the end."

"This time will be no exception!"

It was a bit awkward, but the people in the engineering department listened attentively.

Guo Yang clapped his hands and said, "Let's go. Don't crowd together. There are so many people watching behind us, and we haven't even gotten the project yet."

"Haha, that's right, Brother Niu, you're getting excited too early."

"Right, I was just thinking it would take a few years this time."

A group of people were chatting and laughing, not taking the difficulties in front of them seriously.

……

In the evening, the NetEase group was still free to move around.

Perhaps knowing that they were a bit of a burden, Jiahe sent out twenty or thirty people, and they were not here for fun.

Along the way, we conducted various river observations, vegetation records, and plan discussions.

In contrast, their pig farming inspection was a bit of a joke.

Guo Yang, along with Niu Hulin, Lian Cun, and two other team members, contacted the Dunhuang West Lake Management Bureau.

The other side also had five people.

Director Wu Xiong, Secretary Wang Jin, Director Bao Hairong, and two key business personnel Yuan Haifeng and Zhao Xin.

The conditions of the Administration are rather shabby, and the office space and accommodation are temporarily provided by the Dunhuang Township Enterprise Bureau.

The team was fully staffed only last year, and most of them are locals. For example, Bao Hairong is a native of Dunhuang and his hometown is Erdun Village of Lucaojing Conservation Station.

But there are also many outsiders.

Zhao Xin is from Baiyin, majoring in soil and water conservation. He has just started working and is an alumnus of Guo Yang.

When I was transferred to the West Lake Management Bureau, there was not even any office hardware.

In the end, Wu Xiong reported to the leaders of the Forestry Department and was finally able to borrow 10 yuan.

Then the work started. Without funds, we could only plan the protection station first and then plant trees.

Once the funds are in place, the area around the protection station will be covered with green plants.

Subsequently, the construction of the protection station and forest ranger workplaces began.

After three rounds of drinks, the group started chatting.

When they learned that Jiahe was coming to investigate, Wang Jin and Wu Xiong were both leading teams to conduct an inventory of resources in the reserve.

After receiving the news, he rushed back to the city after another day and night of travel.

Wu Xiong and a few others talked about the work in the reserve. Activities such as herding sheep, hunting, mining, digging medicinal herbs, picking up wind-blasted stones, chopping firewood, and digging hay are quite frequent in the reserve.

There are also villagers who are addicted to hunting and only hunt yellow sheep. They cannot sleep without hunting.

Clearing pastures, clearing mines, coordinating conflicts between people and regulators, sandstorms, cars getting stuck in rainstorms, planting trees to protect forests, rescuing animals...

Jiahe also talked about desert control in Minqin, grassland restoration in various places, and seed collection through long journeys across mountains and rivers.

All in all, everyone's work is very similar.

We all work in difficult areas and can empathize with each other's experiences at work.

The group became more and more familiar with each other.

Guo Yang raised his glass and said, "I have to trouble you again this time. Jiahe has sent five investigation teams here and we need you to lead the way."

"Five groups?"

"Yes, there were ten cars in total, two cars in a group, and one or two cars were just stopping by for sightseeing."

“The rest will stay here for a while.”

Wang Jin and Wu Xiong were both a little surprised.

They were doing a resource inventory, with two cars and three groups, and different groups were investigating in different areas.

Due to the poor conditions of vehicles and roads, it often takes three or four hours to walk, and we eat and sleep wherever we go.

The configuration of Jiahe’s single group can catch up with their three groups.

"No problem." Wu Xiong said, "To be honest, the bureau is short of manpower, and Jiahe is a great help."

Wang Jin smiled and said: "If you can come to invest, we will fully support it."

……

"Old Ding, are you sure you want to go?"

"Sure, we will follow your orders and come back after two days, then we will go back to Yangcheng."

Guo Yang was a little surprised, but he also expected it. He smiled and said, "I'm sorry for the poor hospitality this time. I'll give you more good things next time."

"Haha, okay, it's settled."

On the side, the pig farming team looked at each other, wondering how they should write this inspection report?

Guo Yang doesn't care about that.

After confirming that the shovels, water, food, tents, communication phones and other supplies in each vehicle were ready, they followed Wu Xiong and others to set off.

After our conversation last night, I realized that the situation in the reserve is very complicated.

There were only three people who really understood the situation: Director Wu Xiong, Director Bao Hairong, and Section Chief Sun, the leader of another team.

The rest of the younger generation has not grown up yet.

Section Chief Sun did not come back this time, so the only ones who could lead the team were Wu Xiong and Bao Hairong.

Jiahe has so many people and cars, so it is impossible to divide them into only two groups. Niu Hulin and Lian Cun are both experienced fighters, and West Lake Wetland is not Lop Nur, so they are confident that they can lead a group each.

Driving southwest from Dunhuang, we arrived at Yangguan Town in more than an hour.

To the northwest of Yangguan is the Kumtag Desert, which is also the scope of the protected area.

Here, Bao Hairong led two teams into the desert.

The rest of the people had no interest in admiring the grape forests, so they walked another 25 kilometers north along the provincial road before arriving at Erdun Village.

The Lucaojing Conservation Station is here.

All facilities are quite complete.

Niu Hulin and Lian Cun's two groups, with Yuan Haifeng and Zhao Xin respectively, entered the Gobi Desert from here to explore areas such as Huoshao Lake, Lucaojingzi, and Cuimutu.

Guo Yang, NetEase and their team, led by Wu Xiong, continued 30 kilometers north to the Yumen Pass Protection Station.

Similarly, although the sparrow is small, it has all the organs.

Although this route is long, it has the most attractions and the best scenery, and it is also to accommodate the NetEase group.

The ruins of Yumen Pass are in ruins, but large areas of grass wetlands and river wetlands have been formed along the ancient river road from Yumen Pass to Wanyaodun.

In the vast desert, there is a wetland landscape with crisscrossing water islands, deep reed marshes, and hundreds of birds flying.

Wild camels, goitered gazelles, migratory birds traveling from north to south...

But it's still a bit desolate.

People at NetEase are already somewhat aesthetically fatigued.

In fact, Ding Lei really wanted to come and investigate pig farming, but there was no trace of the desert pig farming that Mr. Guo mentioned.

After entering the Gobi Desert, he devoted himself to the role wholeheartedly.

Every time I discovered a landscape or plant or animal, I would discuss it with Wu Xiong.
Every time they passed a special terrain, they would stop to study and observe it for a long time. Ding Lei and others could not understand the details.

On a red willow sandbag.

Guo Yang and Wu Xiong looked at the swamp wetland not far away.

"It's groundwater overflowing." Wu Xiong answered Guo Yang's doubts, "The Shule River once flowed into Lop Nur, but later ended at Harachi in the west of the wetland due to the uplift of the terrain."

"Later, the Shule River dried up, but this wetland was still preserved because of the groundwater."

Guo Yang thought of the large salt marshes along the road and asked, "Where does the groundwater come from?"

"Due to gravity, some water resources in the mountains such as the Eastern Altun Mountains and the Western Qilian Mountains seep down along the cracks, flow underground, and finally overflow in the form of springs."

Guo Yang was stunned after hearing this.

Overflowing in the form of an underground spring?

He thought of the artesian springs in Qingtu Lake. Could it be a similar situation?
Is this situation replicable? Or is it just too far-fetched?

But wetlands have their own way of replenishing water, which is great news.

After staying for a while, the group moved forward on their own.

Wu Xiong had worked at the grassroots level in Dunhuang forestry for more than 20 years. He was one of the first to join the management bureau and had walked this route no less than dozens of times.

It is clear at a glance which places are accessible to traffic.

In addition to swamps and grassy wetlands, the largest is the salt marsh, which looks white and has no grass in some places.

Then there is the desert.

The entire reserve covers 66 hectares, equivalent to 990 million mu.

Among them, the wetland area is about 11 hectares, the red willow and poplar are about 8 hectares, and the rest are all deserts, Gobi, salt marshes, and Yadan landforms...

Guo Yang feels that there is still a lot of room for development here.

Although groundwater flow is limited, it is also a fixed water source. All we need to do is plant more plants that can conserve water.

Along the way, there are many kinds of plants with tenacious life.

In addition to red willow, reed, poplar... there is also rhubarb.

The vast sea of ​​wild hemp flowers with swaying figures is a scenic spot on the wetland.

This is a plant that has the same origin as Hanhai kenaf.

Hemp was first discovered in Lop Nur.

Guo Yang felt relieved.

The return of the vast sea of ​​ramie to its hometown must be God's will.

……

The NetEase team went back.

When leaving, Ding Lei's eyes were quite complicated. Agriculture was an area that he was very interested in.

But some of Jiahe's actions made him feel confused.

Especially the area of ​​ecological restoration.

Although Dunhuang West Lake is large in area, how much investment value does it have?

If NetEase wants to make similar investments, it will probably be bleed by investors.

Ding Lei's departure did not affect Guo Yang, but instead allowed him to devote himself wholeheartedly.

He didn't want to waste too much time here.

After several days of investigation, the group returned to the Lucaojing Protection Station in Erdun Village.

All the information and opinions are brought together.

The conclusion is that it can be done.

But it comes at a great cost.

We have also found some ways to generate income. In addition to eco-tourism, the processing and development of plant resources is also one way.

There are still rich mineral resources in the eastern part of Lop Nur, but there is no ability to develop them in a short period of time.

From Dunhuang, crossing the Gobi Desert to Lop Nur is a classic self-driving route across uninhabited areas in later generations.

But there were no railways.

Only Hami has a railway leading to Lop Nur.

This can only be a long-term development goal.

Guo Yang really wanted to visit Luojia, but he didn't want to cross the Gobi Desert so rashly.

Even though it is the end of August, the temperature in the Gobi Desert is still frighteningly high.

He doesn't want to be dried up in the sun.

"I'll give it to you guys. This time, the adjustment and planning plan for West Lake will be as detailed as possible. It will be needed for the project approval."

Niu Hulin and others felt a chill in their hearts.

That’s it.

Detailed planning scheme will only be used when applying for project approval.

...

Jiahe's ideas for the Dunhuang wetlands and even the Kumdag Desert quickly spread.

When Guo Yang contacted Lin Ji, director of the Longnan Province Sand Control Institute, he was ridiculed by the other party.

"Kumtag is the only virgin land among the eight deserts in China. Is this what Jiahe is eyeing?"

"Director Lin, I just have some preliminary ideas, so I'm looking for your help."

Guo Yang contacted Lin Ji specifically for the scientific expedition in October.

The Dunhuang wetland is basically fine now.

But he wanted more.

Lin Ji said, "Luckily you came early. The running around during this period has been smooth. The time has been moved forward to September 10th. It won't be a problem for Jiahe to participate."

After a brief communication, Guo Yang paid some financial and material costs and got 5 places.

Including Tianhe, the scientific expedition team has a total of 70 people, covering more than 20 disciplines and a full range of categories.

Therefore, he plans to let the seed collection team take all five places.

This scientific expedition has been prepared for three years and all preparations are sufficient.

For safety reasons, the National Meteorological Service provides 24-hour climate monitoring and Air Force helicopters are ready for rescue.

Jiahe was lucky to be able to take advantage of this opportunity.

...

"What on earth does Jiahe think?"

The tone of the forest department was full of doubts. The Dunhuang wetland covers an area of ​​nearly 10 million acres and is a nature reserve with a fragile ecological environment.

What are the benefits of development investment?
"West Lake Wetland is the last line of defense of the Hexi Corridor." Guo Yang knew that his logic was difficult to be self-consistent, so he could only find reasons based on the greater good.

"Jiahe also wants to make more contributions to society. Ecological restoration cannot always be done by the state."

"Do you really think so?"

"Realer than real gold."

Lin Bu was choked for a moment.

The country has indeed put a lot of effort into combating desertification.

For example, in order to manage the Tarim River Basin, a project was launched in 2001 with an investment of over billion yuan to carry out ecological projects such as water conservation and water transfer.

Together with a series of other water transfer projects in Northwest China, hundreds of billions of yuan have been invested since the new century.

But fiscal power is also limited because there are too many areas that need to be governed.

It is difficult for him to comment on Jiahe’s behavior. What if he really thinks so?

“The ministry will help promote this project.”

"Thank you, Director Lin." Guo Yang expressed his sincere gratitude.

"Can Jiahe come up with so much money?"

"We still have to do various investigations and planning. The project will be approved at least until next year, so there is still plenty of time to raise money."

"You...really...I don't know how to evaluate you." Lin Bu said helplessly: "Don't be too desperate. Jiahe is a very promising company."

Private enterprises are willing to invest money in local areas, especially in ecological and environmental governance, so it is difficult to find reasons to refuse!

It’s just that this time, Jiahe’s goal is too big.

Even in the entire country, this is a rare large project.

"Leader, don't worry, Jiahe will not fail."

After hanging up the phone, Guo Yang also breathed a sigh of relief.

West Lake Wetland is just the first target.

In fact, the complete planning scope in Guo Yang’s mind involves the three provinces of Gansu, Xinjiang and Qinghai.

It borders the Taklamakan Desert in the west, including the Lop Nur, and reaches the Mingsha Mountain in Dunhuang and the Dang River in the east.

It is bounded by the Altun Mountains in the south and extends to the northern end of the Gashun Gobi Desert, which was crossed by Xuanzang on his journey west.

It covers four nature reserves.

The actual area is about 4.5 square kilometers, equivalent to half of Zhejiang.

Except for a few wetlands, it is almost entirely desert Gobi.

This project is difficult to get approved.

60 to 70 million mu of land, involving a large number of cultural heritages, national desert parks, geological parks, and rare wild animals...

We can only proceed step by step, and Dunhuang West Lake Wetland is the first step.

The reason why it is brought up so urgently is to make early preparations and find a place for the funds in the next one or two years.

This is indeed a great place, and ecotourism is a great cover.

With the example of underground spring overflow in the West Lake Wetland, no one can say whether there are other places with the same problem.

The Kumtag Desert is so large and there are so many wild animals, so I guess there must be undiscovered water sources there.

……

On August 27, Guo Yang returned to Jiuquan.

He took out the information about Luojia and Lop Nur Town that someone had prepared and started reading it.

The first phase of 120 million tons of potash produced by Lop Nur Potassium has not yet been put into production, but the construction of Lop Nur Town has made considerable progress.

Before the development of potash, the area within a radius of 300 kilometers was uninhabited.

The only way to Ruoqiang is a simple highway, which is deserted and has poor communication.

With the development of potash mines and the construction of the Harrow Railway, the town now has shops, hotels and restaurants, and a commercial center is also being planned and constructed.

But the gas station in town is the one doing the best business.

However, due to the harsh natural environment, living conditions in Lop Nur Town are still poor.

More importantly, Guo Yang saw the long-term plan for the 300 million tons of potash production capacity of Luo Potassium Phase II.

There is one important issue to realize the second phase: water, a supply of no less than 3000 million m of fresh water.

There is only one solution under discussion: the Milan River Water Conservancy Project.

It is a supporting project for the Luo Potassium Phase II, but it can also provide water for agricultural irrigation and generate electricity at the same time.

Milan River south of the Yangtze River is close to the Altun Mountains and not close to Lop Nur Town, so the water transfer project along the way is not easy.

Alfalfa is very suitable.

Guo Yang thought about it and decided that it was time to play the role of the second largest shareholder.

(End of this chapter)