Student volunteers spend summer vacation curbing desertification

Students worked hard to build straw checkerboard barriers under the desert sun. [Photo/provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

For many students, summer vacation means idling away and enjoying a largely-carefree life. However, a group of students from universities in Nanjing are using their precious holidays to prevent desertification in Gansu province.

The students are part of a volunteer group named the "Lvqinxing League", which was initiated by students at Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics and Beijing Institute of Technology.

Members of the group started their volunteering program at a sand-fixing base in Minqin, Gansu Province. Their tasks include building straw checkerboard barriers - a structure that acts as a windbreaker and fixes sand in place at desert border areas.

Students worked hard to build straw checkerboard barriers under the desert sun. [Photo/provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Building the barriers was no easy task. Students often needed to redo their work because of lack of experience and many of them abraded their hands after working without gloves.

The weather at the desert was harsh as the sun shone brightly even at 7 pm, and temperatures can reach 39 degree Celsius at noon.

Conditions were hard for students on the camp site and they has to cook for themselves. [Photo/provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

In spite of harsh temperatures of up to 40 C, frequent power cuts and limited water supplies, the students persevered to make the volunteering program a success. The team of more than 100 university students installed 8,600 square meters of straw checkerboard barriers in 14 days.

The trip was Lvqinxing League's third to Gansu Province. The three trips have resulted in 15,000 square meters of straw checkerboard barriers being built. However, this is far from the amount needed to stem the problem of desertification.

"This is just a drop in the sea compared to the amount of desert in North West China. We hope that our program can be a start to raise awareness about desertification," said Bao.

Xu Yiwei contributed to the story.