Although the earth is known as a planet made of water, there are also many areas with scarce water resources, especially in desert areas, where there is less precipitation, more sand and dust, and severe natural disasters. So since ancient times, people living in the desert all yearn for the day when the desert becomes an oasis.
And around the topic of turning arid desert into an oasis, someone put forward an idea, Introducing the water of the Brahmaputra into the Tarim Basin, will this dry desert in my country also become a fortress on the south of the Yangtze River
strong>? What kind of miracle will be created after the introduction of river water? Can a dry desert really become an oasis?
While this idea may seem whimsical to many, it is a very valuable topic. Today, we will take these small questions mentioned above to talk about what causes people to have this idea? And talk about the feasibility of introducing the water of the Yarlung Zangbo River into the Tarim Basin, and whether it can finally realize the desert ice oasis?
Water Transfer Project
When talking about the idea of introducing water from the Brahmaputra to the Tarim Basin, it is not Not to mention is my country’s South-to-North Water Transfer Project. It is precisely because the South-to-North Water Diversion Project has solved the problem of drought in some places that people see hope that the idea of introducing the water from the Brahmaputra to the Tarim Basin is made.
The idea of the South-to-North Water Diversion was actually proposed in 1952 and started in 2002. After the proposal of the South-to-North Water Transfer Project was proposed, it has been studied and discussed for decades. The final implementation of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project is the result of full demonstration and weighing the pros and cons.
The total investment of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project is 500 billion RMB, the amount of which is huge and complex, and the project is carried out under the guidance of the concept of ecological protection. The purpose of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project is to transfer the water from the south to the north without destroying the ecology, so as to realize the problem of water use in the north.
And Tarim Basin is one of the most water-scarce places in my country. It is also because of water shortage. Over the years, my country’s largest desert, the Takimalakan Desert, was formed. At the same time, this The desert is also the second largest mobile desert in the world. The Tarim Basin covers an area of more than 400,000 square kilometers. It is a closed intermountain basin. The area is mainly affected by the westerly air flow, with little precipitation, and the water in the basin cannot be self-sufficient.
And the Brahmaputra River is the longest plateau river in my country, second only to the Yangtze River in water energy in our country, and its annual outflow runoff is more than billion cubic meters. However, these water resources are not only not utilized domestically, and floods are often caused after leaving the country.
Therefore, introducing the water of the Brahmaputra into the Tarim Basin can achieve complementary effects. If the project can be realized, the drought problem in the Tarim Basin can indeed be solved, and the flood disaster caused by the Brahmaputra can also be alleviated from the source.
In addition, if the water of the Brahmaputra is really introduced into the Tarim Basin, it will not only turn the desert into an oasis. And if the Yarlung Zangbo River does not dry up and continues to divert water, in the Tarim Basin, it can build a large lake 30 times larger than Qinghai Lake. And this lake is a freshwater lake, which can completely solve the problem of water use in the western region.
As for transferring the water of the Yarlung Zangbo River into the Tarim Basin, this project is very difficult. And how difficult is this, let’s analyze it in detail!
Difficulty of water transfer project transformation
Deserts become grain fields, barren beaches become oasis, it is easy to say, but it is actually done The engineering is quite difficult. The idea of transferring the water of the Yarlung Zangbo River into the Tarim Basin, although the construction is successful, can satisfy theThe country’s development needs, solve the desertification problem in the northwest region, and realize the strategic development of the western region, but reserving water into Xinjiang, the feasibility is relatively small.
The first is the Engineering survey question. There are a lot of resources in Xinjiang. In addition to the resources that are being mined, there are still many resources that have not been mined or discovered. Therefore, if we want to carry out the project of storing water and entering Xinjiang, the survey is very difficult, and the survey data can be called days. And at this stage, the country is still developing steadily, and there are not so many manpower and material resources that can be invested in this project, so in the general direction, the country will not consider water storage for the time being. Xinjiang issue.
The second is the technical reason. In order to realize the entry of water into Xinjiang, the technology must be in place, and the Himalayas must be opened up. And to get through the Himalayas, think about it, it is a project against the sky, and there are more than 2,000 kilometers from east to west. This is without considering the geology and landforms.
The Himalayas are the largest mountains in the world, and it would take a considerable waste of human and material resources to get through. And under such investment, it may not be able to achieve the expected effect after getting through.
Then there is the question of international negotiations. The Brahmaputra is an international river. Although its origin is in the northern foothills of the Himalayas in southwestern Tibet, my country, once the water is diverted to the Tarim Basin, it will have a greater impact on the downstream regions and countries.
Although the Yarlung Zangbo River has sufficient water, it has also experienced a sudden drop in water. Therefore, international negotiation will become a difficult problem to realize the inflow of Tibetan water into Xinjiang.
And finally there is the the question of building a water storage dam. In order to use the water of the Brahmaputra to store water into Xinjiang, a cascade dam must be built on the plateau. And this project is as difficult as getting through the Himalayas, so it is very difficult to implement. Moreover, with the current engineering level in the world, temporarily no one can take on this defiant challenge.
Although the project of storing water into Xinjiang cannot be realized for the time being, it is possible to realize this project one day in the future when my country’s economy and technology are sufficiently supported.
After talking about the engineering difficulty of storing water into Xinjiang, under the current situation, let’s talk about the current utilization of water resources in the Tarim Basin!
Utilization of water resources in the Tarim Basin
Although my country is a country with abundant resources, water resources are still scarce. Many places need to rely on water transfer to solve the water problem. Therefore, the rational use of water resources is very important. In the Tarim Basin, we can divide the utilization of water resources into five periods.
The first period is the Primary Utilization Period. At this stage, the ecology of the Tarim Basin is in a state of equilibrium. Artificial oases are small in size and require limited water resources for irrigation.
The second period is the primary utilization stage.At this stage, agricultural technology has been introduced to Xinjiang, and the state came here to carry out reclamation and introduced large-scale water diversion canal technology. Water consumption has increased, and ecological balance has gradually become unbalanced.
The third is a period of inefficient use, resulting in ecological damage. During this period, the area of arable land in the Tarim Basin more than doubled, but due to the topography and climate, the water resources are limited. Although reservoirs are built to regulate runoff, it can only achieve the state of “water on the ground” in the end.
The construction of the project only focuses on water diversion and storage, which increases the amount of surface reference. However, the backward irrigation technology and the actual inefficient use of water resources aggravated the ecological deterioration.
The fourth is the period of reasonable utilization to gradually restore the ecology. During this period, people mainly considered the amount of water resources, availability of water resources, water availability and availability of water resources in arid regions. Through these four quantities, the utilization of local water resources in the Tarim Basin is adjusted. At the same time, people’s utilization of water resources has changed from inefficient utilization to rational utilization.
The fifth stage is a period we must reach – a period of efficient utilization and healthy development of ecology. During this period, in addition to building large mountain reservoirs for water storage, it is also possible to achieve stable water use in irrigation areas, rationally adjust runoff, and ultimately increase the amount of available water. At the same time, through different irrigation methods, effective irrigation can be achieved to maximize the utilization of water resources.
Finally, the editor would like to say that it is not known when the Tarim Basin will be able to store water and enter Xinjiang. Therefore, for water resources, only efficient utilization of water resources can support the long-term development of the region.
The world’s water resources for human use are also limited, so in the context of the world’s scarcity of water resources, everyone should cherish water and save water.
References:
Water resources utilization and oasis evolution and ecological balance in Tarim Basin. Fan Zili ;Ma Yingjie;Ji Fang;Wang Ranghui.Journal of Natural Resources.2001-01-15
Water resources utilization and ecological balance and land desertification in Tarim Basin. Fan Zili;Ma Yingjun .Chinese Historical Geographic Theory Series.2002-09-10
The regulation process of water resources in the Tarim Basin in the historical period. Kan Yaoping. Chinese Historical Geographical Theory Series.2003-06-10
A preliminary study on the feasibility of water transfer from the Yarlung Zangbo River to Xinjiang. Pu Shengyang; Shi Kebin; Wang Xin; Han Kewu. Chinese Journal of Water Resources and Water Engineering. 2017-12-15
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Overview of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project. Zhao Cunhou. Water Conservancy Construction and Management. 2021-06-23
Author: Swei Proofreading Editor: Xiao Wan< /p>