More than 22 billion yuan (US$2.65 billion) is to be invested in five major ecological projects in North China over the next decade to rid Beijing and Tianjin of their sandstorm nightmares.

The projects will include sand control, the return of marginally cultivable land to pasture and forest, water conservation projects, afforestation and the protection of existing forest resources.

Most of the projects will be located in Hebei Province, which encloses the two municipalities, according to sources from the province's Bureau of Forestry.

Surrounding Beijing and Tianjin, the province's deteriorating ecological conditions directly affect the two cities, and are part of the cause of the frequent sandstorms in Beijing.

The cities of Zhangjiakou and Chengde, and the lower reaches of the Yongding River, all in northern Hebei Province, are major starting points for the sandstorms that hit Beijing and Tianjin.

Under the plan, 24 counties under the jurisdiction of Zhangjiakou and Chengde will return 574,200 hectares (1,418,848 acres) of marginally cultivable land to forest, afforest 574,200 hectares of wasteland, plant 1.23 million hectares (3.04 million acres) of trees, and secure 2.94 million hectares (7.26 million acres) of grassland and 6,090 square kilometers (2,350 square miles) of small river valleys over the next 10 years.

Experts believe that the projects will help create a permanent green belt to help Beijing and Tianjin leave the era of sandstorms behind them.

(China Daily June 28, 2002)