Thanks to water diverted from the Yellow River, an area in Kubuqi Desert, China’s 7th largest desert, is now abundant with small lakes filled with reeds and plants, and boasts 14 square kilometers of forest coverage.

In 2016, the government of Hanggin Banner in north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region built a canal to divert Yellow River water into low-lying areas of the desert.

Though the 36 square kilometers of land lies only eight kilometers to the south of the river, it was extremely dry. The water diversion project not only irrigated plants in the desert but also reduced the occurrence of flooding along the Yellow River.

Owing to efforts over the past 30 years, one third of the Kubuqi Desert is now well maintained.