River course project clears the water
Since authorities in Chedun Town initiated a river course clearing project this year, the water environment in the area has improved tremendously.
Zhoujiabang River and its surrounding area is a typical cluster of factories and farmhouses. Factories were built along the river and there were 36 riverside farmhouses. Industrial waste water and domestic sewage used to be directly discharged into the 800-meter river.
“When I was young the river water was clear enough for us to swim in it. As more and more factories were built nearby, the river turned black and smelly. My children who worked downtown refused to come back to the house. They said the river odor upset them,” said Li Guanxing, a 73-year-old Gaoqiao Village resident.
Local authorities ordered the dismantling of illegal construction, controlled sewage discharge and dredged river courses.
Meanwhile, an oxygen supply pump was installed every 10 meters along the river. Aquatic animals and plants were raised in the river to enhance the river’s autopurification ability.
“Fish are the best indicators of a river’s water quality. Now there are many fish in Zhoujiabang River,” said Zhu Ming, the village’s Party secretary.
“The river turns clear again, the air is also refreshing. My children are willing to come back visiting their old house,” said Gaoqiao resident Li.
Besides focusing on 15 heavily polluted rivers, the Chedun town government expanded the project to cover all its 125 river courses.
Teams of volunteers made up of river chiefs, retired Party members, village representatives and others, were set up to gain feedback about the river water environment.
Authorities mandated a 6-meter-wide “blue line” zone to be left unoccupied along village or township rivers.
“At first villagers felt confused when told that illegal constructions within the 6-meter ‘blue line’ zone must be dismantled,” said Zhang Hanhua, deputy head of Chedun’s River Chiefs Office. But, persuaded by Party members and volunteers, villagers raised their awareness of the blue line and its function. “All this made our future regulation easier,” said Zhang.