SUV Drifting at Xinjiang’s Sayram Lake: Driver Faces 70,000-200,000 Yuan in Compensation

CNBC AI News – June 23rd: A video circulating online is raising eyebrows and concerns about environmental damage at Xinjiang’s scenic Sayram Lake. The footage shows a vehicle, identified as a tank 300 SUV, engaging in what appears to be reckless drifting on the delicate grasslands of the tourist destination on June 21st.

The video depicts the vehicle performing high-speed drifts across the natural terrain, raising a significant cloud of dust and causing clear damage to the vegetation. The prolonged drifting, reported to have lasted approximately 40 minutes, resulted in extensive tearing of the turf and soil compaction, causing noticeable habitat loss.

Witness accounts describe attempts to stop the driver’s actions, with one person calling out the driver, questioning the appropriateness of the activity – “Is this your personal racetrack?” Despite the objections, the vehicle continued to degrade the fragile environmental features of the landscape.

Responding to the incident, Sayram Lake Scenic Area officials confirmed on June 22nd that the authorities have located the vehicle’s owner, and penalties will be issued. Estimates for damages are reportedly between 70,000 and 200,000 yuan, which will serve for ecological restoration in the area.

Officials emphasized the strict regulations against off-road activities like drifting within the park boundaries, citing the destructive effects on the local ecosystem.

Sayram Lake, a high-altitude glacial lake, has a slow-growing ecosystem. Its grasslands are already on a delicate path. The impact of drifting damages the sod, causing soil compaction, which can threaten essential natural structures such as water regulation ability and, consequently, accelerate the risk of soil desertification. Despite explicit warnings against off-road driving in visitor information, incidents like this highlight a persistent challenge in the preservation of natural sites.