Project Scope and Relationship to China's Agenda 21

This project seeks to reverse the vicious circle of economic impoverishment and environmental degradation through sustainable agricultural and mining development. The project is based on the Sustainable Agricultural and Rural Development objective mentioned in programme area 13A of China's Agenda 21. It contributes to a number of related fields including Alleviating Poverty, Replacement of Outdated Mining Technologies, the Development of Natural Resources, Sustainable Management of Land Resources, Reclamation of Degraded Ecosystems, Management of Desertification and Sandy Soils, and Reducing Natural Disasters, as mentioned in programme areas 8A, 12C, 14A, 14B, 14C, 16A, 16B, 16C, 16D, and 17C.

1. Background

The Jinshanmen Area is located in the two provinces Shanxi, Shaanxi and the Autonomous Region of Inner Mongolia. It covers 48,800 square kilometres. Geologically it is part of the Loess Plateau to the north and the Yellow river basin stretching toward the south.

The land is rather thinly populated and infertile. It has many ravines and deserts and faces a severe shortage of water resources. The western part consists of sandy hills severely eroded by wind-blown sand. The eastern part suffers from severe soil erosion. Its rivers are a major source of coarse sand deposit in the Yellow River south of the Jinshanmen region.

The socio-economic base of the region is weak. The food grain supply depends upon cereals from outside the area and other local agricultural products and by-products are not plentiful. Illiterate and semi-illiterate people account for 30 percent of the total population. Poverty is rampant. Currently, the large scale exploitation of coal resources is accompanied by a drastic growth of population. This population growth when combined with irrational mining activities has deteriorated the vulnerable environment further.

The deteriorating environment poses a serious obstacle to economic development. The rather poor soil of the hillside farmland is washed away at a rate of eight to ten tons per mu annually, which makes the soil increasingly infertile and the grain yield lower. Aridity and windblown sand are also great threats. People suffer from a shortage of drinking water. The Mu us Desert is continuing to advance into the farmland and threatens villages and small towns so much that people have started emigrating southeastward.

Industrial development may assist the population in elevating its level of income. A plan presently informally circulating proposes a band-shaped area of industrial and mining enterprises along the Ulan Moron River with Daliuta town as the center. The population would grow from twenty thousand to half a million. However, first, the environmental implications need careful study.

Improved environmental, economic and technological management requires communication between and among the local society, governments and specialists. The peoples and governments of Shanxi, Shaanxi and Inner Mongolia have accumulated much experience in the conservation of water and soil and in combatting sand problems. Moreover, not only the local knowledge, but also the availability of a labour force with a desire to achieve upward economic-environmental mobility is a great asset.

The Chinese Government has formulated special policies, laws and plans for the Shanxi-Shaanxi-Inner Mongolia Energy Resources Base for the protection of the environment and investment in environmentally sound mining technologies. It issued a specific control and management plan for water and soil conservation in the Loess Plateau Region of the Yellow River Valley, for water and soil conservation in coal mining, and for the provision of jobs for the poorest households.

Since the 1952, organizations such as the Chinese Academy of Sciences have analyzed energy resources and the problem of environmental protection. The State Council has instructed the State Planning Commission to head the formulation of the overall plan for the development, management and environmental protection of the Shanxi-Shaanxi-Inner Mongolia Energy Resources Base. The Asian Development Bank has sponsored a technical assistance project for remote monitoring and management of the fragile environment in the contiguous area of Shanxi, Shaanxi and Inner Mongolia. This project has produced a preliminarily geographic information system.

2. Objectives

• Long-term Objectives
  • To reverse the downward spiral of impoverishment and environmental degradation through land reclamation and environmentally sound, small-scale coal mining.

• Immediate Objectives
  • To complete an environmental impact assessment and to draft specialized plans under the general Plan for the Development, Management and Environmental Protection of the Shanxi-Shaanxi-Inner Mongolia Energy Resources Base.
  • To establish pilot zones for study and demonstration of specialized environmental management techniques.
  • To implement management and control activities in key mining districts, with the Ulan Moron River area as the initial area for development.

3. Activities

• 3.1 Formulate an overall and specialized plan for the development, management and environmental protection of the Shanxi-Shaanxi-Inner Mongolia Energy Resources Base.
  • Improve the monitoring and management information system for the Shanxi-Shaanxi-Inner Mongolia region.
  • Conduct an environmental impact assessment.
  • Evaluate water resources and plan for their rational use.
  • Formulate a development plan.
  • Plan for disaster prevention and relief.
  • Develop specialized plans for coal extraction, water and soil conservation, ecological construction, communication and transportation.

  The duration of this activity will be one year.

• 3.2 Establish exemplary zones for the study and demonstration of specialized environmental management techniques.
• ·Establish Daliuta in Shenmu County as an exemplary zone for the study and demonstration of environmental management and disaster relief techniques.
• Designate the Ejin Horo experimental exemplary zone as a model for sand control techniques and fine variety selection of trees and grasses.
• Establish the Dongsheng experimental exemplary zone to demonstrate reclamation techniques, fine variety selection and the introduction of vegetables and cattle.
• Environmental and economic knowledge, perceptions and interests of the target groups will be studied and used to ensure participation in all stages of the projects.

The duration of this activity will be 5 years.

• 3.3 Engage in Environmental Control and Management and Regional Development of the Ulan Moron River.
• Forests, grassland and vegetation

• Cultivate a model windbreak and sand-break forest zone of 264 km2 on the windward side at the northern margin of the mining district.
• Build a windbreak and sand-binder zone of 170 km2 in the Ulan Moron and Hoh Usu wind gap areas to protect the mining clusters on the banks of the Ulan Moron River.
• Afforest 154 km2 and beautify the two flanks of the Ulan Moron River, from the Dianta bridge to the Gongneergai gully.
• Cultivate scattered forest and grassland in accordance with either loess and sandy hill areas, for water, soil or sand conservation.
• Knowledge, perceptions and interests of target groups will be included to ensure participation in projects.
• River renovation work
• Construct the Zhuanlongwan reservoir, with a storage capacity of 4.4x108 m3. This reservoir can prevent floods, mud and sand dispersion and protect lower reaches. This capacity combined with twelve smaller reservoirs will provide a total water supply capacity of 6.969x107 m3.
• Construct flood control embankments over 173.65 km, and mid-channel renovation work over 2.5 km.
• Increase farmland by 1.622x10 5 mu.

• Control and manage farmland in accordance with local conditions.
• Terrace or embank fields in loess hill areas.
• Cultivate small stretches of paddy fields in sandy hill areas.
• Research results will be employed in carrying out this fundamental farmland development.
• The knowledge, perceptions and interests of target groups will be incorporated to ensure their participation in projects.
• The duration of this activity will be 10 years.
• Mining district reclamation and off-scum disposal.
• Abandoned pits from shaft mining will be filled mechanically and trees and grass will be grown.
• Abandoned open-pit mines will be filled through dumping external waste.
• Excavation, stripping, reclamation, tree and grass cultivation will be advanced concurrently.
• Knowledge, perceptions and interests of target groups will be utilized in carrying out these activities.
• Control of air pollution.
• Coal smoke pollution will be controlled and managed.
• Dust pollution caused by coal production storage and transportation will be controlled and managed.
• Knowledge, perceptions and interests of target groups will be used in carrying out these projects.

The duration of this activity will be 10 years. The agencies involved will be the National Environmental Protection Agency, the Ministry of Water Resources, the Ministry of Construction, the Ministry of Geology and Mineral Resources, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the State Education Commission, and relevant local Governments, all under the direction of the State Planning Commission and State Science and Technology Commission. The Huaneng Float Coal Corporation will be responsible for repaying the loans.

4. Inputs

International cooperation and support is required for the sustainable development of the Jinshanmen region. Its coal resources can help increase the energy supply and improve the quality of the environment in China and the East Asia region. Advanced technologies to be accessed from foreign countries are: environmental impact assessment, environmental management, human habitation planning, environment control and management, off-scum disposal and land reclamation. Funds are required for environmental control and management. Thus far, the concerted efforts of the governments, people and enterprises are still far from reversing the downward cycle of impoverishment and degradation.

5. Benefits

Through the construction of forests, grassland, vegetation and fundamental farmland development, soil erosion will be reduced by 65 percent, the forest or grass coverage rate will reach 55.7 percent, and agriculture will develop. The per capita grain yield will reach 445 kilograms and the per capita net income will reach 1,000 RMB, contributing to the abatement of poverty.

By the year 2005, the total amount of coal production will reach 108 million tons of coal to support the economic development of China. Minor coal-pits which endanger the environment will be closed. The improved exploitation of energy resources will help the eastern part of China.