戈壁滩上的 “绿色长城” | 我们新疆好地方
在过去的三十年里，新疆维吾尔自治区阿克苏地区完成了一场绿化战役，将这里“漫卷狂风蚀春色”的风沙之源变成了“风拂杨柳千顷绿”的森林城墙。这一切的蜕变都归功于著名的柯柯牙绿化工程——为了保卫阿克苏不被塔克拉玛干沙漠吞噬而建造的人工防护林。
塔克拉玛干沙漠为中国最大的沙漠，也是世界第二大流动性沙漠。这意味着地处塔克拉玛干沙漠北缘的阿克苏常常饱受沙漠地区吹来的风沙的困扰。三十年前，阿克苏地区每年的沙尘天气将近有一百天，黄沙漫城，几十万的当地百姓经历着风沙之痛。持续的干旱阻碍了当地的经济增长，也为柯柯牙绿化工程造成了重重障碍。
Over the past 30 years, a quiet war against nature had been waged in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in China's far west – to turn swaths of desert into an oasis of forest.
Leading this ecological campaign is the city of Aksu, located on the edge of China's largest desert, the Taklamakan, whose name translates to "the place of no return." As one of the biggest shifting sand dunes in the world, its size is slightly smaller than that of Germany.
Aksu used to be buried in thick sand for the better part of the year. Persistent drought hindered economic growth and defeated several attempts to extract groundwater.
谷歌地图上一段阿克苏地区1986年到2018年延时卫星画面对比。/CGTN gif
与风沙抗争的阿克苏
48岁的甘永军（音）是当年绿化项目的参与者，他解释了戈壁沙漠地带的一种特殊天气“黑风”：“黑风来的时候，你根本就睁不开眼睛。”这种风在几公里以外的地方就可以看到，它临近时，天空一片黑暗，人们需要找个隐蔽的地方藏起来才可以避免危险。
1986年，地委为减轻沙尘暴带来的困扰决定在风沙策源地柯柯牙启动绿化工程。柯柯牙，这片位于阿克苏城区东北部的大荒原在维吾尔语中意为“青色的悬崖”，却和青色无丝毫关系。工程师、地理学家和其他相关专家先后来到柯柯牙进行土地调查、寻找水源。针对柯柯牙缺水和土壤盐碱含量高的问题，施工者克服重重困难，利用“沟植沟灌”“洗盐压碱”等方法湿润土层，改善土质。
"You couldn't open your eyes when the dark wind sweeps across the land," said 48-year-old Gan Yongjun. The "dark wind" can be seen gathering from several kilometers away, the darkness blocking everything in view when it comes and you need to find a place to hide, he explained.
For the past 30 years, Gan has been engaged in the Kekeya green project – one of the campaigns launched by local governments in 1986 to alleviate the plight caused by unrelenting dust storms.
Engineers, geographers and other specialists were summoned to survey the land and figure out sources of water. The team was also tasked with seeking ways to turn sand into soil fertile enough for plants to take roots.
2007年6月16日，塔克拉玛干沙漠公路。/VCG Photo
阿克苏的“柯柯牙精神”
“浇水之后，水会在土地表层停留8到10天，而不是直接渗到土壤中去，我们刚开始种的树大多数没有活下来。”甘永军回忆说。由于土壤的盐碱含量过高，大多数植物的根会被慢慢腐蚀，存活率极低。降低土壤盐碱度就花了四年的时间。为了解决这个问题，阿克苏人民齐上阵，在几十公里之外开渠引水，希望用水慢慢渗透土壤并最终溶解碱性土壤。32年间，植树造林的信念任由风沙肆虐而不改，深深沉淀在阿克苏人的血脉中。
"After water is poured, it would stay on the surface for eight to 10 days without penetrating the soil," Gan recalled. The high alkaline content in the soil far exceeded levels survivable for most plants, slowly corroding and eating away their roots.
To solve this problem, irrigation ditches filled with water were dug in the field in hopes that it would slowly seep through the soil and eventually dissolve the alkaline. Donkeys were the primary vehicle for transporting water.
这是全体阿克苏人的战役，街头小贩、消防员、当地官员和老百姓，大家纷纷行动起来，从十几岁的孩子到七八十岁的老人都参与其中。没人提出要报酬，也没有人抱怨辛苦。这一战役从1986年开始一直持续到现在。在阿克苏人眼里，种树人的时间只分两季，夏冬季平地打线、春秋季植树造林。大家一干就是好几个月，场面蔚为壮观。
"The trees we planted in the beginning died in large numbers," he explained. Yet, dissolution efforts carried on for four more years before plants were finally able to grow on the barren land.
People from almost every corner of the society – street vendors, firefighters, local officials – all participated in the ambitious and unprecedented greening project twice a year, mostly during spring and winter.
2018年10月5日，新疆阿克苏航拍，层林叠翠，风光秀丽。/VCG Photo
阿克苏的“绿色涅槃”
毫无疑问，在这场与沙漠较量的绿化战役中，阿克苏人赢了！据当地林业局统计，1986年到2018年的32年间，累计有340万人次参与绿化，共植树1337万棵，全地区林地总面积1339万亩。年平均沙尘天气从100天降到了20天，空气湿度增加了17.5％。
与此同时，得益于防护林强大的保护，农业成为这里经济的支柱产业，苹果，核桃，枣，葡萄干等阿克苏特色农产品更是受到市场的青睐。
今年4月，一项新的100万亩的绿化工程已经启动。阿克苏人在征服沙漠的路上继续前行。