North China's Shanxi province completed sand encroachment and erosion prevention and control measures which covered a total area of 3,866 square kilometers between 2016 and 2020, according to Shanxi Forestry and Grassland Bureau on March 16. 

Over the past five years, the province has promoted national environmental and ecological management projects. 

These have included the second phase of the Beijing-Tianjin sandstorm source control project, the fifth phase of the Three-North Shelterbelt Forest Program and the conversion of cultivated land into forests -- and coordinated comprehensive remedial treatment of mountains, lakes, farmlands, rivers and grasslands. 

The projects reportedly brought obvious positive effects to the environment's improvement in the sandy regions of the province.

An air quality report published by the Shanxi Department of Ecology and Environment showed that Datong and Shuozhou cities in northern Shanxi met the ambient air quality targets -- reaching the national standard for 315 days and 285 days respectively in 2020, up 5.7 percent and 17.7 percent from 2015.