River chiefs clean up in Jianggan District
Hangzhou’s Jianggan District has been striving to improve the water quality of its rivers and restore the ecosystem.
In 2014, 72-year-old Xu Huifen became a river chief for one section of Tiesha River. Every morning she walks nearly 2,000 meters from Tiesha River Park to Qingtai Waterworks and back.
She checks whether there is rubbish on the riverbanks and stops people from dumping waste or simply swimming in the river. The Tiesha River is the source of drinking water for local residents so the water quality must be kept at the highest level.
“One day I found that a woman with two full bags was kowtowing beside the river. I realized she was going to free captive fish into the river. So I ran to her quickly and persuaded her not to,” said Xu.
Last summer, dead fish weighing up to 150 kilograms in total were collected by a garbage boat in a day. Most were freed for religious reasons.
“We have to let them understand that the fish they bought are not native to the environment and they may die very soon in the river. It’s just pollution to the water system,” Xu said.
One thing that Xu does not have is the power of law enforcement. She has therefore developed close relations with urban management administration officials and sanitation workers working on the river.
If she spots something that she cannot deal with, she reports it to them.
“Previously we reported to the subdistrict office, which would then refer it to someone who could take action. The present mechanism works more efficiently for us,” Xu said.
In Jianggan, there are more than 70 river chiefs like Xu who work voluntarily with government officials, river police officers and cleaners to form a monitoring network.
The battle against water pollution however is never won in an instant. Once a river is polluted, it takes a lot of effort and time to restore it.
In Dinglan subdistrict, 11 rivers extending some 20 kilometers run through all its 53 communities.
“Rivers in Dinglan are located in the lower reaches of Hangzhou’s river system. At the same time the area’s level of terrain means that the river flows gently, which is not good for self-purification,” said Chen Yidan with Dinglan’s urban management administration.
In the past, the area was on the urban fringe of the city where most residents used rivers to do their laundry or dump garbage. House and industrial refuse was disposed directly into the rivers.
“The rivers then looked very unhealthy by their blackish color, and they stank sometimes,” said Chen.
The first step was to build proper sewage facilities in local buildings. In the ongoing urban sprawl, rural houses were replaced by urban residential buildings, and factories in the area were either closed or relocated.
Since 2013 all wastewater has gone through sewage pipes to the city’s treatment facilities.
In 2015, the local government assigned the task of desilting and ecological improvement to one company which took charge of the whole process from design and implementation to maintenance.
Desilting all 11 rivers were carried out at the same time so that sludge removed from one section would not be washed away to another.
When all the basic cleanup work had been done, more eco-landscape facilities were added. An aeration system was used to put more oxygen into the river. In some places, it was designed as a fountain.
Many mini floating islands were placed at the confluence of two rivers or near the bridges for aesthetic reasons, with their aquatic plants further purifying the water.
“Every month, the company will be evaluated for its maintenance work. If we find it unqualified, they will not receive our funds for maintenance next month,” said Chen.
In two years, the once-stinky rivers became clear again. Water quality in all Dinglan’s rivers has reached class IV, just one step away from that of drinking water.
In recent years, the focus of the river chiefs has shifted to sewage disposal of construction sites and local residents.
Last September, an electric power construction site was fined 7,000 yuan (US$1,043) for dumping slurry water directly onto the roads.
“The waste may clog drainage pipes underground if they are disposed untreated,” said Chen.
For every river, there is a WeChat group gathering all parties concerned, including the river chiefs, urban management officers, district chiefs and Party secretaries who also need to inspect the rivers and take responsibility for the final results.
The government is building more leisure facilities for local residents. In Dinglan more than 100 fishing areas are available for enthusiasts, together with steps leading to the riverbanks and garbage bins nearby.
“In the end, we hope that the rivers and the landscape are enjoyed by our residents,” added Chen.