Zhengzhou City's Plans To Build Nature Park Turn Into A Sandy Mess

The plan had been to create a beautiful nature park complete with a large artificial lake on the outskirts of the city of Zhengzhou, the capital of Henan Province in north-central China. However thanks to a cruel trick played by nature, what the officials have ended up with, is an unsalvageable sandy mess!

As is often the case, on paper the plan seemed perfectly feasible. The officials thought they would excavate some sand from the surrounding areas and then draw in water from the nearby Dragon Lake, creating a beautiful sanctuary where the residents of this busy industrial city could come relax.

Unfortunately, things did not quite turn out that way - shortly after digging up thousands of tons of sand, the underground water source dried up. As a result, the dry sand has disseminated into a Sahara-like wasteland. While official reports indicate that the sand is piled up to 10 meters (33 feet) high, some residents claim that it is ten times more or about a 100-feet high in certain areas. If that is not bad enough, the dunes that are now spread across an area the size of four football fields, are gradually destroying local vegetation.

What's worse is that on windy days, the dry sand drifts into the city center, making it almost impossible to drive and forcing residents to don face masks and protective eyewear to prevent the grainy crystals from getting into their eyes, nose, and mouth.

In a desperate attempt to contain the sand and provide the illusion of lush green fields, the officials have even tried covering it with a green plastic netting - However, that has not done much to improve the dire situation!

As you can imagine, many of Zhengzhou's residents are upset by the disaster. They maintain that desert wasteland that looks nothing like the green landscape they were promised, has resulted in tainting their otherwise pleasant cityscape. Some think it is even deterring businessmen from coming to Zhengzhou. Hopefully experts will find a solution to clean up this sandy mess! Just shows that even the best laid plans can sometimes go astray!

Resources: odditycentral.com, dailymail.co.uk