We estimate that these coal fields alone cost the economy 91.73 million yuan a year as a result of artificially induced desertification. 12 Desertification causes an increase of shifting sands, resulting in damage to communication arteries such as highways and railways. Preliminary studies have shown that shifting sands damage approximately 1,500 km of highways and 500 km of railways. This damage is most prevalent along the main arteries that connect China's frontier regions to the center. The estimated direct monetary loss resulting from the impact of desertification on highways and railways is 200 million yuan.
Desertification also affects air transport.
For example, the annual direct economic loss arising from blowing sand at Gongga airport in Tibet is 720,000 yuan. 14 Wind-borne sand damages water conservancy facilities and clogs water courses. For example, 48.3 million tons of wind-borne sand are deposited along the section of the Yellow River between Shabotou and the river bend each year. If we add to this amount the 50 million tons of silt transported into the Yellow River by its tributaries as they flow through desertified regions, over 100 million tons of wind-borne sand are deposited in the Yellow River in this section alone. Since much of the sand deposited in the Yellow River is coarse, sedimentation occurs more rapidly, causing the river bed to rise.