Chongqing - The Qiongjiang River, a first-class tributary of the Fujiang River on the right bank and a second-class tributary of the Jialing River, has undergone a remarkable transformation through the joint efforts of Sichuan and Chongqing river chiefs in southwestern China.
The boat patrols the Qiongjiang River. (Photo/He Yan)
The Qiongjiang River runs through six counties and districts in the Suining City of Sichuan Province and Tongnan and Tongliang Districts in Chongqing. In the past, the river was filled with water hyacinth and aquatic plants, but now it is vast, and the banks are lined with fields of blooming rapeseed flowers and picturesque villages, forming a beautiful landscape.
The panel compares the Qiongjiang River before and after the transformation. (Photo/He Yan)
The collaboration between Sichuan and Chongqing river chiefs in managing the Qiongjiang River began on April 29, 2020. On that day, the Sichuan River Chief's Office and the Chongqing River Chief's Office held a joint meeting in Tongnan District to promote implementing the river chief system in the Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle.
They jointly decided to deepen ecological compensation, explore establishing a transverse ecological compensation mechanism in the Qiongjiang and other river basins, and create a national model for joint river governance. One year later, the Chengdu-Chongqing region officially launched the Qiongjiang River Happy River Project.
"To promote the construction of the Qiongjiang River Happy River, we have established a command headquarters led by the district head and the Qiongjiang district-level river chief, and four professional staff members have been assigned to be responsible for the construction work," said Jiang Lixia, deputy director of the Water Resources Bureau of Tongnan District.
Tongnan has adjusted and improved the river chief organizational system, established one departmental river chief unit and 14 river section chiefs, forming a responsibility system of "one river, multiple chiefs" with the district river chief in charge, the departmental river chief leading, and the river section chief participating.
Regarding joint governance between Sichuan and Chongqing, Jiang Lixia said, "Through top-down linkage, meetings, and joint river patrols, we discover problems and rectify them promptly. Since 2022, we have discovered and rectified 52 problems together with the upper and lower reaches."
Tan Jiuhong, deputy head of Anju District in Suining City, Sichuan, said, "To achieve ecological governance of the Qiongjiang River, we have held cross-border river joint defense on-site promotion meetings with Chongqing. We have also held five regional joint meetings and conducted over 40 law enforcement inspections. We have notified each other of illegal activities and their handling results and cooperated in resolving 11 cross-border water disputes."
Tan Jiuhong also revealed that the joint construction plan for the Qiongjiang River demonstration project had been fully launched. "I believe that with our joint efforts in constructing and managing the Qiongjiang River, we can make it better and more beautiful, truly becoming the happy river of our country."