Have you ever experienced a sandstorm of the level of a science fiction film?

Take a look at the pictures taken by railway workers

Today is the 48th World Environment Day

The editor wants to talk to you about the story of railway workers and sandstorms

This was once a life-forbidden zone

Located deep in Inner Mongolia

The 616-kilometer-long Linze Railway

is the "take-off line" that drives the economic development of the northwest region of Inner Mongolia

and is also the "lifeline" connecting the minority areas in western Inner Mongolia

When the Linze Railway was first opened, there were continuous sandstorms all year round, and nearly 80% of the line was buried by yellow sand. In some places, the yellow sand was more than 1 meter above the track surface, and trains could not pass at all.

Similarly, there is the 335.6-kilometer-long Jier Railway, where "the wind swept the yellow sand all over the sky" and the sandstorm caused 301 road closures for two consecutive years. In those days, passengers always prepared various anti-sand equipment when riding, such as plastic bags and raincoats...

In 1995, passengers took a train from Jining South to Erlianhot with plastic bags on their heads.

When the railway line is buried by wind and sand

If the train passes through a serious sand accumulation area

It is easy to derail

At this time, line workers are needed to go to the scene at any time

Remove the sand and dredge the line

Ensure that the train can pass safely

Start a special mission

Manual sand removal is a large workload and low efficiency, which only treats the symptoms but not the root cause. In the fight against sand damage, the railway workers here came up with the "crazy" idea of building an oasis in the desert.

Lince Railway adopted a combination of sand-blocking methods, including artificial sand clearing, digging sand ditches, building sand retaining walls, and compiling ¡°high, medium, and low¡± nylon grids. At the same time, drought-resistant and easy-to-survive plants such as Haloxylon ammodendron, Caragana korshinskii, and Tamarix chinensis were planted in the sand-control grids. The growth of these drought-resistant plants was used to effectively lock in moisture in the sand, forming a regional ¡°micro-ecology¡±. After a long battle with wind and sand, the ¡°temper¡± of wind and sand was gradually understood, and the ¡°sand tiger¡± was locked up. From the initial stage of remediation to the present, railway sand control workers have cleared about 2.4 million cubic meters of sand accumulated on the line, set up 1,618 kilometers of high sand barriers and 2,300 hectares of sand-control grids, planted 496.7 hectares of Haloxylon ammodendron and Caragana korshinskii, and sowed 315.25 hectares of grass seeds.

When it was first opened, the sand-affected area exceeded 65%, and one pair of trains passed through it every day. Now the sand damage on the line has been reduced to about 35%, the line is unobstructed, and 6 to 7 pairs of trains pass through it every day, all of which can arrive on time.

High sand barriers and anti-sand grids block sand damage within a hundred meters of the railway line.

In the 1970s, railway workers began to fight against the desertification and desertification of the land along the Ji-Er Railway.

In the past, the method of sand control was to plant green plants that were drought-resistant and desert-resistant. After decades of unremitting efforts and exploration, people have invented a number of sand control technologies and methods. "Wheat straw grid" is one of the magic weapons to achieve this miracle of sand control.

The wheat straw is inserted into the sand at a depth of about 15 cm, and the heads and tails of the wheat straw are naturally erected and closed, 1 meter horizontally and 1 meter vertically, and staggered to form a wheat straw grid. At the same time, sand-fixing tree species such as Artemisia ordosica and Caragana korshinskii are planted in the grid. Under the shelter of the grass grid, the vegetation will not be blown away by the wind and will sprout and grow when it rains. The "sand crust" formed by the decomposition of wheat straw can fix the quicksand and become nutrients for plant growth.

For areas with serious sand damage, measures such as setting up nylon grid sand barriers, planting high vertical sand barriers, and covering the sand sources with clay are taken to form a scientific wind and sand protection system with "four belts in one" including sand sealing and grass cultivation belt, front sand blocking belt, sand fixation and fire prevention belt, and protective afforestation belt.

Today, along the Ji-Er Railway, the yellow sand is gradually reduced, and the green grass and trees are connected from points to lines and from lines to pieces. In some sections, you can even see the scene of green trees.

As of the end of 2018, the greening rate along the Ji-Er Railway reached 87.3%, and the riding environment for passengers has become cleaner and more comfortable.

The 91.85-kilometer-long sand protection forest belt on both sides of the railway is 64 to 86 meters wide and builds a green safety barrier for trains that cross the Hunshandake Desert and connect to the new national gate of Erenhot Railway.

Since 2013, the Hohhot Bureau Group Company has planted 168 kilometers of trees and 960,000 trees.

16,500 mu of grass seeds have been sown and 3,600 mu of aerial seeding has been afforested.

The greening mileage is 20 47.78 kilometers

The golden sand sea is full of green waves

When you take the train to the depths of the desert

Strips of green barriers continue to extend in the sand sea

The editor wants to say

All green is hard-won

If you can't plant a small tree by yourself

There are still many ways to choose

For example, take the bus, subway or ride a bike

Let's practice green life together

Do our part for environmental protection!

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