Shanxi made significant progress in the ecological rehabilitation of two mountains and a clutch of rivers in 2019, according to the province's ongoing two sessions held in Taiyuan, capital of the northern province.

Officials said progress was made helping the Taihang Mountains, Lyuliang Mountain, major reaches of the Fenh and, Sanggan rivers and another fiver rivers running through the province -- as well as the Yellow River basin.

They said that through a series of environmental protection measures, the water quality of the Fenhe River, the mother river in Shanxi, now has better water quality and the groundwater level in the Fenhe Valley has risen for 10 consecutive years.

An area of more than 3,473 square kilometers in the Yellow River basin was afforested during the past year, officials added. 

This year, Shanxi will continue to further preserve these areas with the goal of afforesting 2,666 sq km, treating 3,500 sq km of area suffering from soil erosion, completing 56 mining subsidence area treatment projects -- as well as restoring and protecting 13.5 km of the middle reaches of the Fenhe River.