breathtaking view whenever and wherever you find her. She could survive under such extreme
weather conditions with 400 different species of plants and over 45 different species of animals and
birds found in the desert. Up till now, every single step I walked in the desert, I found her full of
wonders.
On the other hand, like the Chinese (who are actively penetrating into every business
sector e.g. property, stock and equity, premium goods etc. shoring up the global economy), Gobi
is ‘aggressive’ too. Gobi is growing by more than 1,300 square miles every year, overtaking
southern grasslands of China. Her expansive approach in terminology is desertification. Often,
China experiences dust storms but recently they appear to be coming a lot more due to the
current expansion. It worries the Chinese Government and they are now planting new forests -
Green Wall of China in a hope to halt her spreading. To me, both Gobi’s expansion and Chinese
aggression have alarmed us in the angles of environmental pollution and human behavior versus
basic needs.
Heading east to the Domogobi province in Mongolia, to my dismay, I saw some deformed
livestock births like lambs with two heads or without lower jaw; goat kids and baby camels with
missing or shriveled limbs. The herders living around told me that large number of livestock had
died mysteriously in the previous winter. The deaths have led to concerns among the villagers
about water contamination and uranium radiation from mining activities in the region.
In the past two decades, massive reserves of uranium and a host of other precious metals
and minerals including coal, oil and gas, copper, and gold have been uncovered between China
and Russia. Most importantly, much of these resources are buried under this vast Gobi desert. It
is reported that an estimated 55,000-ton uranium deposit has been located in the Ulaanbadrakh
district, East Gobi. This significant uranium deposit and other mineral resources have prompted
investors to rush into Gobi. Water is a precious resource in this arid region but mining activities can
suck up huge volumes of water and adversely contaminate water. More unfortunate is desertification
in the Gobi, which is eating up fertile grasslands that have sustained herders and their livestock for
millennia.
I love Gobi but I fear that “can Gobi still survive with her uniqueness?”
Hey, here is cold, dark and quiet, where am I? …I kicked off my quilt and I am shivering.
