China is carrying out a three-step strategy to prevent further shrinkage of the "Crescent Moon Spring," a famous spring in a desert in northwest China's Gansu Province.

 

The crescent-shaped pond lies five kilometers south of Dunhuang City, a tourist attraction for the Mogao Buddhist Grottoes.

 

Although surrounded by sandy hills known as the Singing Sand Mountains, the spring pond has not dried up in the arid climate or been buried by sand for over 1,000 years.

 

However, the pond has shrunk rapidly over the last four decades and is now in danger of disappearing. It has an area of 5,200 square meters with an average depth of one meter, only one third of its size and one ninth of its depth 45 years ago.

 

According to a local government report, the spring is threatened by increased water consumption due to population growth, a decrease in the supply of ground water, and the subsequent worsening of local environment.

 

The government has mapped out a long-term plan to fight against the shrinkage of the spring. The primary objective is to restore the ground-water supply of the spring, according to the plan.

 

With an investment of 37 million yuan (US$4.6 million), the government has built two ponds near the spring to transfer a total of six million cubic meters of water from the Danghe River to the spring pond.

 

Meanwhile, the government has closed all irrigation wells in the spring's surrounding villages.

 

The city will also divert 120 million cubic meters of water per year from the Ha'erteng River to the Danghe River to maintain the water level of the spring pond.

 

(Xinhua News Agency April 7, 2006)