A study says a desert in China's Inner Mongolia that has the highest sand dunes in the world hold a vast store of underground water.

    BEIJING, Nov. 26 (Xinhuanet) -- A study says a desert in China's Inner Mongolia that has the highest sand dunes in the world hold a vast store of underground water.

    The moisture is found just 20 centimetres or eight inches below the surface of the dunes in the Badain Jaran desert, in western Inner Mongolia.

    Scientists based in China, Australia and Britain said if the water is used wisely, it could ease the chronic water shortage afflicting the north of the country.

    The water comes from snowmelt on Qilian Mountain, which lies 500 kilometers or 300 miles away to the southwest.

    According to their calculation, 500 million cubic metres could be extracted from the desert groundwater every year.

    But experts caution that the extraction would have to be done on a sustainable basis.Enditem