The “Hongqi River” water transfer proposal and its background are reviewed. Several potential pitfalls in this proposal are discussed, including soil salinization by irrigation in arid areas, hazard rainfall and soil erosion caused by significant water evaporation in upwind arid area, and water leakage and evaporation losses due to long distance transfer through a man-made hanging river. This paper attributes the desertification in Northwest China to the Lop Nur dry up. As a remediation, water must be brought back to the Lop Nur and its surrounding areas. Underground canals(similar as karez)can be used to transfer water from west Tarim Basin to Lop Nur so that the normal atmospheric humidity distribution can be restored. At the same time, the quality of the underground water in the basin will be improved.