Lhasa has been implementing a project to turn Lhasa River into a manmade lakein recent years, in order to improve the water ecosystems, Xinhua reported.

The "river to lake" project includes water conservancy, transportation, scenery, greenery, environment, and many other areas as well, and they currently have investments totaling 3. 532 billion yuan. Lhasa plans on constructing six dykes on the Lhasa River in an effort to increase the water level of the river.

This project has already made substantial progress, as they have already completed construction of the No. 3 dyke over the mainstream section of the Lhasa river, which has not only allowed Lhasa to possess more, moister oxygen, but also has made the heat more bearable for many citizens.

"In Tibet, the lakes are generally filled with water birds resting on the water; after the construction of the No. 3 dyke, it can become a resting spot for many bird species, which has in turn greatly benefited Lhasa's ecosystem," explained Migmar, principal of the construction of the No. 3 dyke.

Currently, supporting facilities such as landscape platforms have been build on the two shores, which does not only aid in the cleaning of the river, but also helps beautify the area, as well as provide a recreation area for tourists. "The lake to river project won"t change the area's river ecosystem," said Migmar.

The investigation of specialists has shown that the amount of water in the lower reaches of the river will not be reduced because of the dyke. During the design process of the dyke, they already considered the possibilities of water retention, flooding, and other geographic and environmental factors.

Additionally, the southern mountain greenery project that is affiliated with the No. 3 dyke project has also been progressing smoothly, and Lhasa's riverside greenery has been increasing annually. The two projects are gradually improving Lhasa's ecosystem.

"In the past, every year during the dry periods, the Lhasa River would have very little water, and the river bed would show in many different places, which caused many sandstorms. As of today, those exposed river beds have now become manmade lakes, and Lhasa’s ecosystem is becoming more sustainable," said Tsering Dekyi, a Tibetan citizen who grew up on the riverside, and smiled as he spoke of the "river to lake" project.