Successful Biological Methods for Combating Desertification at Degraded Areas of China - Combating Desertification in Asia, Africa and the Middle East - page 66

Cross Stays

Panel

Post 10 1.5m

Fig. 3.13 Structure and placement of wind-leading panels for highway protection

Main Wind Direction

Sand-fixing Belt Sand-fixing Belt

Sand-stocking Belt even

Ground

even
Ground

100-200m 100-200m 100-200m 20-40m 20-40m 100-200m

Road Bed

Fig. 3.14 Comprehensive Shelter system on two sides of a highway

recommended height of the wind exit is 1.0-1.5 m. The experimental data of wind
tunnel on wind-leading panel show that a proper ratio of the width of panel to the
height of wind exit is 1 to 0.7.
The best and easiest way is to establish an engineering protective system in
combination of “fixing, stocking and transporting”. The comprehensive protective
system is disposed by erecting several rows of standing sand barriers as outmost
sand-stocking belt on the windward side of highway to check the shifting sand, then,
placing the straw-checkerboard sand barriers of 100-200 m in width and planting
sand-holding species such as Haloxylon ammodendron, Calligonum mongolicum
etc. The components of the system are (i) a sand-fixing belt to stabilize mobile sand
dunes and lessen the strength of blown sand, (ii) paving of a flat belt close to the
roadbed and (iii) streamlining the section of roadbed so that shifting sand does not-
accumulate but instead it passes over the road surface.
Adopting the above engineering protective system (Fig. 3.14 ) on Ruoqiang-
Qiemo Section of Qinghai-Xinjiang highway and Urumqi-Yining highway has
achieved success.