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Environment gets big push in Chengdu
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EIGHT cities in the Chengdu Plain Economic Region are joining not only to quickly develop their economies but also to begin a formal process to cooperate on environmental protection.
The eight cities include Chengdu, Deyang, Mianyang, Suining, Leshan, Ya’an, Meishan and Ziyang, which altogether comprise 40 percent of the population of Sichuan Province and 60 percent of its economy.
The cities are linked more tightly since the release early this year of the Development Plan on Urban Agglomeration around Chengdu in the Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Region. Achieving integrated development by joint coordination among the cities is a major aim of the plan, which requires rational division of work, complementary advantages and sharing among the cities.
But another important part of the joint development goal is environmental protection. Cross-region eco-projects including joint work in natural forest protection, treatment of polluted rivers and prevention of air pollution are all on the map.
Cross-city protection of drinking water sources is one highlight, with the successful cooperation between Deyang and Chengdu serving as a model. The two cities have carried out a series of cooperative efforts in protecting drinking water sources, and are working on more. The idea is to tackle water pollution so that joint treatment can be carried out on upper and lower reaches of rivers and streams.
The Mapengyan canal and its branches form the only suitable drinking water source for Chengdu’s Qingbaijiang District. The flow region of the canal and its branches was set as a second-level drinking water conservation area last year, with agreement achieved by Guanghan District of Deyang and Qingbaijiang District of Chengdu. That involved moving a large number of polluting enterprises and banning drain contamination.
“There are many strict rules in the drinking water conservation area, including strict permission for new enterprises and shutting down or removing of polluting enterprises in the region. That indicates much sacrifice on the part of Deyang, where the canal travels through,” according to Chengdu Environmental Protection Bureau.
Deyang made a similar contribution to protect the Hongqi Reservoir, the drinking water source for Jintang County in Chengdu, since the region was approved as a conservation area in mid 2013.
Chengdu gave back to Deyang in carrying out a series of water pollution-control projects around Renmin Canal, the source of drinking water for the urban region of Deyang. Many pollution-control facilities are under construction while polluting enterprises are moved and adjusted.
“The water quality of Renmin Canal has reached the third-level surface water quality according to the national standards after all the treatments, which is basically good-quality water,” said the bureau.
Apart from protecting the drinking water conservation regions, the cities in the economic region also are joining to protect the Minjiang River and Tuojiang River. The entire economic region lives more or less along the two rivers.
Projects to protect 2 rivers
Deyang finished more than 70 treatment projects along the Tuojiang River, while Chengdu has been working on 133 projects since last year. Meishan, Ya’an, Mianyang and Ziyang also participated in monitoring water quality.
Shanghai, situated at the mouth of the Yangtze River, has suffered water-quality problems for years, and local officials often get frustrated at the lack of upstream prevention and treatment, as the water is usually polluted by the time it enters Shanghai.
That means the water must go through intensive treatment processes before it can be delivered to Shanghai homes and businesses. A joint pollution control and treatment effort, similar to the effort in Sichuan Province, could also work for Shanghai and its neighbors.
Information sharing on straw burning among the cities is one way the Sichuan cities are tackling air pollution.
“Abnormal fires caused by straw burning within the Chengdu Plain can be easily detected on the meteorological chart, which is shared by Chengdu, Deyang, Mianyang, Meishan and Ziyang,” said the environmental bureau.
An agreement on cooperation in promoting comprehensive use of straw and a ban on burning was reached last year among the five cities. Information sharing is one of the first steps. Other moves include joint patrol, investigation and dealing with related illegal acts.
According to the Chengdu Agriculture Commission, the cooperation worked well last year. The number of polluted days in Chengdu caused by straw burning dropped to zero last spring. Part of the credit also went to related projects that resulted in 94 percent of the straw being used, meaning that only 6 percent of the straw needed to be burned.
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