By Yuling Chen, iChongqing News
Chongqing- Southwest China’s Chongqing Municipality is intensifying its effort to upgrade rural power grid, so as to achieve the goal of completely eliminating poverty by 2020.
An electricity worker is doing his part for rural power grid upgrade. (Photo from Chongqing Three Gorges Water Conservancy and Electric Power Co. Ltd.)
Chongqing has invested an accumulative amount of RMB 27.521 billion (about USD 39.966 billion) in rural power grid upgrade, and the comprehensive voltage qualification rate exceeded the national target of 2020, according to a press conference held by the Chongqing Municipal Energy Bureau on June 5, 2019.
Deeply impoverished areas represent a focus of China’s precision poverty alleviation efforts. When it comes to Chongqing, prioritized efforts are toward the most poverty-stricken towns, some in the northeastern part, including Wanzhou District and Wushan County. Power grid upgrading there not only increases people’s income but also boosts economic and social development.
Improving people’s livelihood
Lang Tianqin and his family member are smashing corns by the machine.
“My family benefits a lot from the rural power grid upgrade. Now we can use a washing machine, refrigerator, air conditioner, and even corn smasher machine at the same time,” said Mr. Lang Tianqin, a resident in Wanzhou Ganning Town, and added, “The power availability with a stable condition guarantees us a better life.”
Electricity is an indispensable part of modern life, as there are many power-driven home appliances.
In the mountainous city of Chongqing, a high-reliability rate of the power supply does not come easily, and it requires a collective hard work. Once the work paid off, many migrant workers chose to return home and work locally. “I’m satisfied with working in my hometown. The income is good, and I also have time to be with my family members,” said Ran Nongbi at her 50s. Power grid update has brought changes not only for local development but also for individual households. Migrant workers, who earn their living far away from home, don’t need to travel a lot and they are well-paid because of local industrial development. They have more quality time than before and lead better lives.
Promoting local industrial development
Raising chicken helps to alleviate poverty in Chongqing, China.
Mr. Liao Huiying, head of power supply station in Ganning Town, Wanzhou District, said, “Power grid upgrade further promotes local industrial development, such as rural tourism.”
Shiqiao Shuixiang, a wetland park in Shiqiao village, serves as a good example of booming rural tourism supported by improved electricity conditions. Tourists from surrounding areas come here to enjoy local delicious food and have a relaxation amid serenity.
The accomplished project also promotes agricultural modernization there and ensures easy and efficient irrigation by just turning on the irrigation batch meter for a large area of plantation. “The output of plum and peach from previous 100 mu to current 1,100 mu (about 73.33 hectares) increases local income,” Yu Jie, general manager of Shiqiao Shuixiang company explained.
Apart from rural tourism, power grid upgrade catalyzes industrial development of poultry and pig farming. Longju Town, another deeply impoverished town in Wanzhou find its ways to lift local people out of poverty, and chicken raising is one.
The first phase of construction is underway in Wutong village where will be home to 2.5 million chicken annually. “We take modern ways to raise chicken, for example, incubation at a constant temperature and compound fertilizer,” Bai Xinliang, first secretary of Wutong Village Communist Party, noted. These modernized ways will have been supported by 200-kilowatt power by this September. The first secretary elaborated, “As of now, 18 people from six households have got rid of poverty since last August.”
Sustaining green development
Chongqing develops photovoltaic power generation projects to create income for local people.
Providing and producing power are both ways to alleviate poverty. About 175 kilometers away from Wanzhou District, Wushan County have photovoltaic power generation projects to create income for local residents.
Wushan adopts a two-way flow of energy between electricity generators and its end users. End users can produce their own electricity by PV projects on a village or home basis.
In Wushan Anjing Village, the collectively-owned PV project covering an area of 3500 square meters can bring about an annual income of 300,000 yuan, 60% of which goes to poor families. On the other hand, 300 households own their own PV solar panels installed on their rooftops. According to relevant director from Wushan County Development and Reform Commission, household installed PV capacity reaches 4000 kilowatts a year, which means around 3800 yuan.
The task of rural power grid upgrade in Chongqing involves 33 districts and counties, and 10.7 million rural people, accounting for 34.5% of the city's population. The coverage of the rural power grid is about 70,000 square kilometers, accounting for 85% of Chongqing's total area.
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