The Xiaojiang River is located in the northeastern part of the Yunnan Province with a population of 400 thousand in its catchment area of 3,000 km2. Because of the steep topography, fragile geological conditions and poor vegetation driven by long exploitation history of mining, the river basin has been seriously devastated, resulting in significant degradation of the environmental conservation. Moreover, the area along the Xiaojiang fault is one of the most habitual earthquake areas in China.

Under these natural conditions, this area has habitually experienced sediment disasters including debris flows and landslides, and since the 1960's reported were 66 deaths, 1,700 destructed houses, 3,300 ha of affected agricultural land. Xincun, the political and economical center of Dongchuan District, were often isolated due to cuts of the roads and the railway by disasters.

A master plan was formulated for sediment control and environmental restoration of the Xiaojiang River Basin, and a feasibility study was conducted on high-priority projects together with transfer of Sabo technology.