River Chief System Boosts Water Quality of Longxi River in Chongqing

With a length of 170 kilometers, the Longxi River runs across Dianjiang County in Chongqing and its 11 villages and towns.

Back in the 1990s, when industrialization and urbanization gained ground, industrial and mining enterprises and livestock and poultry farms started to spring up along its riverbanks. As untreated wastewater was discharged and excrement was dumped into it, its water quality was greatly damaged. "Pollutants of various colors made Longxi River a 'colorful river' and grew large areas of water hyacinth," said Zhang Guoqiang, a primary-level river chief of Shunhe Community, Dianjiang County.

Since the river chief system was launched, Dianjiang County has established a river chief structure that covers the three levels of county, township and town, and village, with senior county leaders as the general river chief. Over 500 river chiefs conducted inspections to adopt a river-specific approach, focusing on prominent issues such as illegal discharge of wastewater, illegal appropriation of riverbanks, and non-point source pollution in rural areas. On this basis, a ledger to solve these issues was established, and the progress was monitored regularly.

Moreover, the river chiefs worked together with the forces from environmental protection, water conservancy, agriculture, and other departments that have been consolidated through the river chief system to guide livestock and poultry farms to install environmental protection facilities. Now as no excrement is discharged directly into the river, non-point source pollution has been alleviated and the water has grown clear.

Regular river patrolling

Thanks to the constant efforts made under the river chief system, the ecological environment of the Longxi River has been improving.

"Water environment governance is a systematic project that entails not only the unremitting work from river chiefs but also the active participation of common people. Meanwhile, it is also necessary to complete the regular patrolling mechanism to build a public defense system against water pollution," said an official in charge of the Water Conservancy Bureau of Dianjiang County.

As summer arrives, Longxi River, located in Donghu Community, Pushun Town, Dianjiang County, is calm and sparkling. On the river surface, several small boats were moving around. On a boat was Long Changrong, a Longxi River patrolling team member. With a net attached to a long bamboo pole, he was salvaging scattered trash floating on the surface expertly.

Before joining the patrolling team, Long Changrong was a fisherman. "I can tell where the water runs fastest and where there is most fish with my eyes shut." As he is familiar with the water environment, he also assists river chiefs in patrolling and protecting the river in addition to cleaning floating trash.

"By combining cleaning floating trash, river patrolling, fishery, and electricity generation, fresh momentum has been injected into the river chief system, thereby taking our comprehensive water environment governance to a new level." According to the official in charge, the water quality of Longxi River (Dianjiang Section) has been graded Class III or above for many years, and the onetime "colorful river" has become as clean and beautiful as it was long ago.

Bring happiness to local people

Yingfeng Lake which meets the Longxi River is located in Pushun Town. Once filled with fish cages, it has become a popular scenic area now. As you stroll around the lake, you will see exuberant trees, an emerald lake where flying wild ducks and egrets can be seen now and then, and some tourists sitting on the bench and chatting.

Over the past years, by relying on the river chief system, Dianjiang County has consolidated the forces from finance, agriculture, environmental protection, forestry, and other departments and strengthened the conservation of mountains, rivers, forests, farmland, lake, and grassland ecosystems. Thanks to these efforts, distinctive scenic spots that are both environmentally friendly and beautiful have been built along Longxi River, making it a place that brings happiness to local people.

Next, Dianjiang County will continue to explore ecological and cultural resources along the Longxi River and develop ecological rehabilitation care, homestay experience, and other kinds of characteristic tourism. Thus, it aims to create a new development landscape featuring the harmonious coexistence of mountains, rivers, people, and the county.