Mentougou going from nitty gritty to gorgeous green

Located in western Beijing's mountainous area, Mentougou district is a treasure trove of natural resources, including coal, limestone, and granite.

But with a mountainous terrain - including a hundred or more peaks - occupying a stunning 98.5 percent of the entire area, agricultural activities are limited in Mentougou district.

Coal and sand mining have been the principal source of income in the area since about 100 years ago.

However, the extensive mining has resulted in the ecological degradation of the district, said Zhang Wenbo, director of science and technology commission of Mentougou district.

"In 1960, the mountains were once covered with big trees. And water gurgled down from the mountains all year long, " Zhang recalled.

In Lingshui, an ancient village in Mentougou district with a more than 1,000 year history, there used to be 72 wells in the 1960s.

But when the villagers started small-scale coal mining they dug through to the aquifers, which caused the direction of the underground water to change.

The water levels in the 72 wells dropped and ultimately dried up. As a result of the drop in water level, the trees perished.

Coal mining and water drainage at the mine pit not only led to the decline of underground water level, but also changed the natural flow of groundwater, which resulted in a scarcity of drinking water, worsened by the water pollution caused by coal wastes, Zhang said.

Sand mining in Mentougou district also despoiled the area. Huge pits were left on the ground and the sand mining sites were also factors in severe sandstorms that blew 90 km into downtown Beijing in winter and spring.

In recent years, both ecologists and economists have agreed that the environmental deterioration is a threat to both Mentougou villagers and Beijingers.

So in 2005 the local government started to repair the ecologically damaged area in Mentougou, which totals 200 sq km, about 14 percent of the whole district.

As part of the effort 98 percent of 264 private coal-mining companies in Mentougou were shut down beginning in 2005.

The district also invested more than 900 million yuan in ecological restoration.

"This is a huge project, because Mentougou has had to experiment with ecological restoration measures, " Zhang said. "Luckily, we have found solutions that fit the district."

For instance, Mentougou district has combined ecological repair with the development of organic agriculture.

Closed coal mines have been transformed into poultry farms, walnut gardens, mushroom farms and even laboratories, where scientists experiment with bio-fertilizers to restore the soil productivity.

Through these efforts, a total of 13,093 hectares of abandoned mining areas have been repaired in recent years.

Mentougou also restored and replanted roadside slopes denuded by road construction.

They were stripped of trees and vegetation leaving ugly gravel and dirt scars that posed a threat of land and mud slides during summer rainstorms, said Cao Yuting, a senior engineer from water and soil conservation department.

Replanting trees was nearly impossible but after extensive experiments, Cao and his staff worked out a solution that won national patents for ecological restoration. And the survival rate for new growth reached 95 percent.

Finnish solution

The Mentougou district government also reached out overseas and is working with Finland-based VTT Technical Research Center on plans for an eco-city in the area.

"One of the first tasks is to develop and apply eco-city indicators into the rating system for eco-city development. In this work we are cooperating closely with local people and Chinese professionals," Kari Larjava, vice president of VTT said.

"Thus, we ensure that the city can be built in such a way that this area, with its significant environmental value, can be conserved when building new houses and renovating old ones."

Paloheimo, a member of the project's advisory board, listed two absolute indicators of ecological integrity. Firstly, an eco-city does not pollute its surroundings. Secondly, it uses a minimum amount of all natural resources.

Key development themes include energy-efficient buildings and rebuilt environments, sustainable energy production, water and waste management, infrastructure, jobs and services, resource management and restoration of damaged green environment.

The eco-city plan includes six of the 17 villages in Mentougou district.

"Currently there are about 10,000 inhabitants in six villages. The number could be larger, but it is restricted by fresh water resources which depend on rainfall," Larjava said.

(China Daily 02/09/2009 page5)