East China’s Jiangsu province has given full play to ecological conservation in recent years by restoring and repairing the ecological landscape along the Yangtze River so as to rev up economic transformation and upgrading and high-quality development of the regional economy.
It used to be a regret of the residents in Yizheng district, Yangzhou city, for many years that they could not see the Yangtze River though the city lies within easy reach of China’s longest river.
In the national plan to regulate the shoreline along the Yangtze River, 43 industrial projects were shut down or relocated.
In 2017, the local government shut down shipyards that illegally occupied the shoreline to make way for the construction of a 50,000-tonnage wharf.
Xu Chen, Assistant General Manager of Yizheng Port Co., Ltd.
These shipyards occupied valuable resources along the Yangtze River making it impossible to make full use of the value of the shoreline.The renovation project turned the river beach green and the ecology along the river beautiful.The public liquid chemical terminal of Yangzhou Chemical Industrial Park has been restored to ecological protection standards, which has strengthened the regional petrochemical logistics carrying capacity.
Xu Zhong, head of planning, Yangzhou Chemical Industrial Park
We collect wastewater and rainwater separately and conduct online testing to ensure that the wastewater discharged from the wharf and reservoir area is effectively controlled.
In recent years, the eight prefectural cities along the Yangtze River have carried out 596 shoreline renovation projects. In the city of Nanjing, great changes have taken place in the Yangtze river shorelines that were once occupied by sand plants and wharfs.
While regulating the Yangtze River shoreline, Nanjing has also stepped up the efforts to boost the construction of greenery belts in the Binjiang area in Jiangning district.
Ji Wanjun, CEO, Binjiang Investment and Development Co. Ltd., Jiangning district
We have restored the ecology of the 19-kilometer dykes on the Yangtze River and improved plant diversity and biodiversity.The number of finless porpoises has also continued to increase.
In the past years, Jiangsu has closed or relocated factories and restored ecological environment in the Yangtze shoreline that adds up to 47 kilometers.
Water-friendly demonstration projects have been launched and hailed by people in Nantong, Taixing, Jiangyin, Changshu and Zhangjiagang.
Han Quanlin, Deputy Director of Jiangsu Provincial Department of Water Resources
The provincial department of water conservancy has attached great importance to the ecological repair and restoration along the Yangtze River.In the next step we will ensure long-term management and prioritize ecological improvement to make the water cleanthe banks green and the environment beautiful.
