Desert, as we think is no more lifeless; it has become the world’s miracle! Yes, believe it or not, the Tarim Desert highway better known as Cross desert Highway has been declared as the world’s longest desert road from being buried by the sand. This highway was mainly built, using sand control meshing in 1995 to move oil from Tarim basin. Crossing the Taklamakan desert from North to South, this 552-kilometers highway links China National Highway314 and China National Highway 315 simultaneously.
To prevent the road from being buried by sand, Chinese authorities have built a 60-meter wide tree belt along the route with massive irrigation system. The building of the tree-belt with bushes and other vegetation has been done for better anchoring of sand with its roots. This protective green belt has not only improved the ecological environment but also played a vital role in the ecological prevention of sand.
You would be surprised to know that the beautification of this longest desert road has been done with two million rose willows, sacsaoul and buckthorn. An approximate amount of 50 tree varieties have been chosen that mainly includes small leaf dwarf trees that not only loose moisture slowly but are the best resistant to arid conditions. Now, you decide whether it is desert or something else!