Chapter 80 Ecological Refugees

The immigration phenomenon in Minqin has a long history. The migrant population is spread all over the country, but no outsiders have moved to Minqin.

After hearing from his elder brother Guo Shan that the county was organizing a relocation, Guo Yang was at a loss for a moment.

However, based on the survey conducted last year, we know that the land here is severely desertified and the "Lop Nur" scene has already appeared in some parts.

"Brother, sister-in-law, why don't you follow me to the underworld."

"Okay." Sister-in-law Tian Ying said happily. No one would want to go to the unknown Xinjiang Province.

Guo Shan glared at her for a long time before asking the question in his mind.

"Little brother, tell me what you are doing in Jiuquan? Before this, only Xiaoxia went to school and learned something from your teacher."

Xiaoxia is the eldest brother’s daughter. She was admitted to the Normal School in Lanzhou two years ago and is also quite introverted.

Guo Yang pondered for a while, "It's hard to explain the situation right now, but I opened a company in Jiuquan and I'm in urgent need of manpower. You guys can just help."

They were both quite surprised. Starting a company? Then they thought of the car outside the yard and the driver following beside it.

Only then did he feel certain that his younger brother had indeed become rich, and his face was filled with satisfaction.

"Little brother, I still want to stay in Minqin. My ancestors have lived here for generations..."

Tian Ying immediately got angry and asked angrily, "Guo Shan, everyone is trying to find ways to seek help from relatives and friends. I finally made it, and we have something to look forward to, but you are being hypocritical."

Guo Shan sighed, "I know you have a grudge. When you married me, the well water in the village was sweet and the crops were green, but now they are all bare."

"Then why are you still staying here?" Tian Ying was very annoyed.

Guo Shan said nothing, stood up and searched through the boxes and cabinets for a while before he found half a box of somewhat dry "Black Lanzhou".

From his elder brother's expression, Guo Yang could tell that these were cigarettes he had treasured for a long time, and perhaps in his mind they were the best cigarettes in the country.

"Little brother, do you want to smoke?" Guo Shan found a match and lit a cigarette, then asked.

Guo Yang shook his head and decided to not smoke in this life if possible.

But Old Song took it over and advised, "Brother, the boss has a big business in Jiuquan, you can enjoy life there."

Guo Shan was smoking a cigarette, the smoke shrouding him, "I'm not willing to give up!"

"I still remember that in the past, in order to prevent sand, my father and the elders volunteered to plant trees, often walking three or four miles."

"Most of the trees we use are small pieces of tree branches cut directly from branches. We dig holes in wetlands, insert the tree pieces in, and tamp them down firmly."

"Later, I learned this method, and I and several villagers spontaneously planted trees. It has been many years now."

Tian Ying was still angry. "Now the sandstorm is getting stronger and stronger, and there are fewer and fewer people in the village. Not to mention sand prevention, even the farmland is almost uncultivated. What's the point of relying on you guys?"

Guo Shan smoked one cigarette after another. His wife's words touched his sore spot. Most of the people still left in the village are old and weak, and the number of teams planting trees is getting smaller and smaller.

Seeing this situation, Guo Yang also understood that his elder brother had a strong sense of hometown attachment and had a strong desire to stay.

It is just like many elderly people who have lived in rural areas for a long time. When their children bring them to the city to enjoy a better life, they feel uncomfortable and think about returning to the countryside every day.

But the living conditions here are indeed precarious.

Fertile farmland was devoured, houses were buried, and people were unable to survive. They had to leave their homes and become ecological refugees.

In addition to spontaneous immigration, the government is also organizing immigration for those who do not have the ability to immigrate.

"Brother, Yuhe Village is no longer suitable for living. How about I find you another place in the county?"

Tian Ying rubbed Guo Shan with his arm and spoke hurriedly.

"In fact, there are also immigration points in the county. Everyone is willing to move within the county, but the immigration points of several towns around us are in Xinjiang Province."

Guo Yang was also a little confused about the county’s thinking.

Can these people adapt to migrating from the hometown where their ancestors have lived for generations to a completely unfamiliar environment where the psychology, language, culture, production and life are very different?
Just then, someone in the yard was knocking on the door.

"Guo Shan, Guo Shan."

Several people stood up and looked outside, only to see an old man leading the way into the yard, followed by several villagers. Outside the gatehouse, there were also some villagers standing in groups of three or four, watching.

Guo Yang looked at the old man in the lead. He was big, with a long face, gray hair and beard, and a copper-colored face full of wrinkles. He was wearing a black-gray hat with ears and a gray-white cotton robe with a large collar and several patches on it.

"Uncle Qing, come and sit down, let's all do it." Sister-in-law Tian Ying found stools of different sizes in the house.

"Uncle Qing." Guo Yang also called out following his elder brother.

After a brief exchange of greetings, Uncle Qing finally explained the purpose of his visit.

"Shanzi, we are here mainly to ask Guo Yang for help."

Guo Shan's heart trembled and he looked at his wife, thinking that he was here to borrow money.

The lake area has suffered disasters every year in recent years, and each township has been relying on borrowing money and loans to survive.

The incompetent village cadres of Yuhe Village put the village at a disadvantage in terms of loans and government preferential policies, and the debt became even more serious.

The per capita debt in the village is almost reaching 2000 yuan, and the great pressure has led to more people moving out.

Uncle Qing sighed, "Alas! Everyone is unsure about the situation in Xinjiang Province, so we want to ask Guo Yang for information."

The villagers who followed also said this.

“Everyone thinks Xinjiang is too far away and doesn’t want to go there.”

“Some elderly people would rather die here than migrate.”

"No one has ever been there, so it's completely dark what the situation is."

Guo Shan and Tian Ying secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but can their younger brother help with this matter?
Everyone looked at Guo Yang.

"Uncle Qing, let me handle this. I'll contact the county government and learn about the specific immigration policies."

Guo Yang agreed without hesitation. It just so happened that he also wanted to understand the desertification situation here. Sand control is also a good way to accumulate natural energy.

"County government?" Several people looked at Guo Yang in surprise. No one from the county came during the immigration promotion. Could Guo Yang have any solution?
Only Old Song looked indifferent. This was nothing. The boss had seen many high-ranking officials in the city and province.

……

county seat.

Last July, a comment on an investigation document instantly made many people nervous.

"We must not let Minqin become the second Lop Nur!"

In a remote corner of the northwest, a small county town that was once ignored by everyone suddenly became a hot spot.

The county suddenly became busy.

Sand prevention and control has also become an important task for the county in the past two years.

Doing well may not necessarily lead to a promotion, but messing up will definitely be remembered.

The root cause of desertification, which has been repeatedly demonstrated in recent years, is that the crisis caused by the reduction of water resources has produced a series of vicious cycles.

90% of the water in the oasis is used for agricultural irrigation. Irrational irrigation leads to a reduction in water flow from upstream.

This has caused the groundwater level to drop, water quality to deteriorate, soil salinization to expand, some irrigation areas to be abandoned, sand-loving plants to die, and sand dunes to become active...

Oasis has reached a life-and-death situation.

However, the effectiveness of desertification control cannot be seen in the short term.

For some reasons, the city made the decision to carry out ecological migration, targeting farmers who are unable to relocate.

With the deterioration of the ecological environment, many people have already spontaneously migrated through various means, and they can be found all over the country.

This is referred to as "natural outflow" in the government work report.

Some places also call them ecological refugees.

(End of this chapter)