Chinanews, Lanzhou, Oct 31 – Recently, the Gansu provincial government issued a scheme on the protection of the ecological environment and saving the cultural heritages in Dunhuang. According to this scheme, from 2007 to 2010, local government will spend 1.93 billion yuan to improve the ecological environment in Dunhuang area and to make sure that the water level in Yueya Spring will stop falling in future. The project will be divided into 20 sub-units, the Lanzhou Morning News reported.Dunhuang is located in the west end of the Hexi Corridor and to the east of Kumtag Desert. The weather there is very dry and the ecological environment fragile. In 2006, about 1.2 million tourists from home and abroad came to visit Dunhuang. As the population in Dunhuang expanded quickly, people cultivated more land to grow crops. As a result, the underground water was overly exploited. In Dunhuang Basin, the underground water level has sunk by 0.24 meter every year. There are fewer oases and more land turned into desert land or saline soil. The Mogao Grettoes, which is listed as a world cultural heritage site, the Mingsha Mountain and Yueya Spring are all seriously damaged. At present, the main scenic spots in Yueya Spring are maintained with human renovating efforts.The issue has gained wide concern from society. Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao has issued multiple notifications urging local government to protect the environment and cultural heritages in Dunhuang. Local government has also made detailed schemes for the protection work. With careful programming and discussions, local government has listed 20 main protection projects, which will need an investment of 1.93 billion yuan.Four of the projects are related with the protection of cultural heritages and natural scenic spots in Dunhuang, in which local government will spend 264.4 million yuan for the protection work of the Mogao Grettoes. To realize this goal, it is required that the facilities in the Mogao Grettoes will be used in a better way. Also, the cliff will be reinforced and the plank road will be renovated. Facilities will be built to prevent the Mogao Grettoes from wind damage. About 70.81 million yuan will be invested for the protection work of Yueya Spring. The protection work will be divided into two stages. Workers will build a water supply system in Yueya Spring to make sure that the water level in Yueya Spring will not further drop. At the same time, local government will also devote great efforts to protecting the Mingshan Mountain. About 316.5 mu of arable land near the mountain will be reclaimed by the government and 12 households living by the land will be relocated in new places. Local government will build a windshield zone near the Mingshan Mountain to prevent moving sand dunes from destroying Yueya Spring.