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A collective photo of Agar and his family in their new house.
Gungjor County in Qamdo is situated on the middle section of the Jinshajiang River, on the upper reaches of the Yangtze River and in the northern part of Henduan Mountains. Forests there total 220,198 hectares, and the forested area totals 60,791 hectares. They combine to function as a natural screen on the Yangtze’s upper reaches.
For better protection, a natural forests protection project was undertaken, resulting in a total of 144 households, comprising 948 farmers and herders. Having to be moved out and relocated in four settlements in the three countries in Nyingchi Prefecture--Bome, Nyingchi and Mainling.
The first group of people to be moved came from the six poverty-stricken townships of Keri, Lomai, Shingsum, Mingdu, Shadong and Moshie. The fertility of the farmland in the six townships was poor, but there were dense forests. Despite State efforts to aid the poor there, about 80 percent of the population are poverty-stricken.
Agar given the key to his new house.
In order to protect the eco-environment and aid the poor, the government of the Tibet Autonomous Region invested some 8.3 million Yuan this year in the six townships as part of the forest protection project.
All the four settlements have a reliable supply of drinking water and power, and access to radio and TV. The living space averages 96 square meters for a family of up to five persons, and 120 square meters for a family of more than five.
Soinam spoke highly of the government’s efforts when he moved into his new house.
Allotted farmland averages 0.2 hectare per person. At present, the new settlers have grown 28.8 hectares of crops and made full preparations with regard to firewood for winter.
Those who settle in Qamdo and Nyingchi get food rations for half a year (averaging 15 kg per person/per month).
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