URUMQI - Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region has launched a three-year-long campaign to improve the environment of rivers and lakes in the region.

Located in an inland arid area, Xinjiang is short of water resources.

To protect the rivers and lakes, the region has successively organized special actions to avoid illegal mining, garbage pile-up and construction around the rivers and lakes.

Zhang Jian, an official with the regional water resources department, said Xinjiang has shut down 107 illegal sand mining factories, removed garbage dumps around five reservoirs and dealt with other 1,282 problems which posed threats to the environment of the lakes and rivers.

In the following three years, Xinjiang will focus on solving the problems of overexploitation of water resources of rivers and lakes, encroachment on the shoreline of rivers and lakes and illegal discharge to significantly improve the appearance of rivers and lakes in the region, according to a government document.