Chinese scientists have successfully planted rice and created a fish pond for aquaculture in the subsidence area of a big coal mine near the city of Huainan in Anhui Province, the Xinhua News Agency reported.
Subsidence areas are formed by years of mining where buildings, roads, farmland and ecology are destroyed. According to the National Development and Reform Commission, China has more than 20,000 square kilometers of coal-mining subsidence areas, 70 percent of which are located in Anhui.
The planted subsidence area belonging to Huaihe Energy is the biggest in southeastern China. Scientists from the company teamed up with researchers at Anhui University of Science and Technology who planted rice and farmed fish in the same shallow waters. They have harvested and tested the first sample rice varieties meets national quality standards according to tests, and the team said the rice-fish co-culture model is also helping improve local water quality.
Experts believe the research will provide positive solutions to the environmental contradictions between mining and farmland protection and a good approach to treat the subsidence areas.
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