The regulations on prevention and control of water pollution in Hanjiang River Basin were revised for the first time after 19 years.
The largest tributary of the Yangtze River will draw up a negative list of environmental protection
The Hanjiang River joins the Yangtze River (photo by Song Zhentao)
On the 26th, the Regulations on the Prevention and Control of Water Pollution in Hanjiang River Basin of Hubei Province (Revised Draft) was submitted to the 12th meeting of the Standing Committee of the 13th Provincial People’s Congress for deliberation. Hanjiang River is the largest tributary of the Yangtze River, which flows through 40 counties (cities, districts) in 10 cities (forest areas) of our province. The water pollution problem in the basin affects the vital interests of many residents. The current regulations were implemented in 2000, which was the first revision after 19 years. This is another major tributary of the Yangtze River in our province, which has been upgraded by legislation after Hubei introduced the regulations on water ecological environment protection in Qingjiang River Basin in September this year.
Highlights of draft
Defining the responsibilities of administrative departments and establishing compensation mechanism for horizontal ecological protection
The revised draft proposes that the provincial people’s government will establish a joint conference system for water pollution prevention and control in the Hanjiang River Basin, coordinate and coordinate major issues such as water pollution prevention and control planning, land and space use control, natural resource asset management, ecological protection compensation, and study and solve major problems in water pollution prevention and control in the Hanjiang River Basin.
In view of the current problems in the implementation of the compensation mechanism for ecological compensation in the Hanjiang River Basin and the unclear standards for ecological compensation in the upstream and downstream cross-border areas, the revised draft proposes that, referring to the relevant guidance documents of the Ministry of Finance, the provincial government should support the local people’s government in the Hanjiang River Basin to establish a compensation mechanism for horizontal ecological protection and increase support for key ecological functional areas, major agricultural products producing areas and difficult areas.
Make a negative list of Hanjiang River development and put the protection of drinking water sources in a prominent position
Lv Wenyan, director of the Provincial Department of Ecological and Environmental Protection, said that cities along the Han River all regard the main stream or tributaries of the Han River as the main drinking water sources. The draft puts the protection of drinking water sources in a more prominent position, which not only stipulates the risk prevention system of drinking water source protection areas, but also stricter control measures, such as negative list management, ship water pollution prevention, urban and rural sewage and garbage pollution prevention systems.
In terms of water pollution prevention and control measures, the revised draft intends to stipulate the implementation of the negative list system for industrial access in the Hanjiang River Basin, formulate a negative list for the development of the Hanjiang River Basin, and make it public. The revised draft proposes that the negative list generally includes the following prohibitive provisions: projects explicitly eliminated by the state, prohibited from construction, and inconsistent with national industrial policies; Development activities in geological parks, world natural and cultural heritage, scenic spots, nature reserves, forest parks, wetland parks and flood storage and detention areas are prohibited; Activities prohibited in drinking water source protection areas; Prohibit activities in Danjiangkou reservoir area and the upper reaches; Other prohibited activities as prescribed by law.
Strengthen risk prevention and control and water ecological protection. It is forbidden to build aquatic restaurants on the Hanjiang River.
In view of the common problems in the Hanjiang River Basin, such as reduced runoff, reduced flow velocity, decreased self-purification ability of water bodies, reduced pollution capacity and frequent water blooms, the draft stipulates that the people’s governments at or above the county level in the Hanjiang River Basin should strengthen the unified dispatch of water resources, formulate and implement plans for ecological water allocation and ecological water replenishment, ensure the demand for ecological water, and control the ecological flow of hydropower projects at the same time.
It is forbidden to produce and sell phosphorus-containing washing powder, detergents, detergents and other cleaning products in Hanjiang River Basin. It is forbidden for any unit or individual to use ships or floating facilities to provide catering services other than finished fast food in Hanjiang waters. In violation of this provision, the market supervision and management department shall order it to stop the illegal act and impose a fine.
In view of the characteristics of the river basin, the draft also strengthens the measures to prevent and control water pollution in key areas. For example, the draft also stipulates that the people’s government at the county level in the Hanjiang River basin should demarcate the forbidden areas for livestock and poultry breeding and aquaculture in its administrative area in accordance with relevant national and provincial science. No new livestock, poultry and aquatic farms shall be built, rebuilt or expanded in the forbidden areas.
Review site
In any case, we must ensure the ecological basic flow of the Han River.
On the morning of the 27th, the Standing Committee of the Provincial People’s Congress deliberated the revised draft regulations in groups. The Standing Committee of the Provincial People’s Congress and the representatives of cities and states attended the meeting and put forward their insights, including balancing the relationship between protection and development of the Han River, cascade development in the middle and lower reaches of the Han River, protection of drinking water sources, ecological base flow, solid waste treatment and incineration mechanism, etc.
When deliberating the regulations, some representatives thought that in recent years, with the changes in environmental protection policies, environmental awareness and environmental protection requirements, it is very necessary to revise the regulations on water pollution prevention and protection in the Hanjiang River Basin again after 19 years. To protect the ecology of the Han River, we need to pay attention to the cascade development of the middle and lower reaches of the Han River. Especially after the Danjiangkou water transfer project, the water volume in the middle and lower reaches of the Han River has decreased significantly. Once, the large flow had a strong role in diluting pollutants, but now some tributaries are affected by the flow, and water blooms still occur. At present, the five-stage cascade development of Hanjiang River has been basically completed, and the next step should be to clearly define the ecological basic flow that has been built.
"In any case, we must ensure the ecological base flow of the Han River." Xiong Tie, deputy to the provincial people’s congress, agreed to increase the ecological flow of the Han River in the regulations. He said that since the South-to-North Water Transfer Project, the pressure of water transfer in the Hanjiang River Basin has increased during the dry season. If we want to ensure a Hanjiang River, we must ensure the ecological basic flow and keep the water quantity in the lower reaches of Danjiangkou in a specific range.
Cheng Jiagang, director of the Standing Committee of Xiangyang Municipal People’s Congress, believes that the protection of Hanjiang River should balance the relationship between protection and development. As a national development strategy, the Hanjiang Economic Belt has a small flow below the Hanjiang Dam, and experts and scholars also believe that the fewer hydropower stations, the better. The hydropower station planned to be built after scientific research and demonstration should be analyzed in detail.
Present situation of water quality
Provincial Department of Ecological Environment Protection: The water quality of the main stream of Hanjiang River is better than that of its tributaries.
According to the monitoring of the Provincial Department of Ecological and Environmental Protection, the water quality of the Hanjiang River has improved from January to September this year, and the overall water quality of the main stream is excellent, and the water quality of all 20 provincial control sections is excellent.
According to the relevant person in charge of the Watershed Department of the Provincial Department of Ecology and Environment, although the overall water quality of the tributaries of the Hanjiang River is good, there are still some tributaries that are not satisfactory. Especially in the dry season, the amount of water in the middle and lower reaches is reduced, which is not conducive to the spread of pollutants. The pollution situation of tributaries such as Sihe River in Shiyan and Zhupi River in Jingmen will be aggravated, and some of them have even had "water blooms".
Journalist visit
Qiaokou did not see the boat. The length of the folk river measured that the Han River was getting clearer and clearer.
On the afternoon of 26th, the reporter visited Qiaokou Hanjiang River.
The 63-year-old Lu Jianjun lives in Jiangwan New Town, Guangdian, near Jiangtan. After eight years’ stay, he has witnessed the radically changed riverside environment. "There used to be these trees and trails, just a large wasteland and vegetable fields." Now, the river beach has planted flowers and trees, built leisure trails and equipped with fitness equipment. He will come and have a look every day. The surrounding residents have also developed the habit of walking and relaxing by the river. "There are hundreds of people here, which is very lively."
In the view of Zhang Wei, a folk river chief in Wuhan section of the Han River and a science and technology counselor at Daxing Road Primary School in Jianghan District, Wuhan, the water quality change of the Han River is visible. In 2012, the school set up a base in Longwang Temple, with a set of water quality testing instruments. The measured data shows that the Hanjiang River is getting clearer and clearer.
Zhang Wei still remembers that six years ago, he went to a student’s home for a home visit and found that their whole family lived on a boat by the Han River under Qingchuan Bridge, and the domestic sewage was directly discharged into the river. Now, the "house boat" on the Han River has been properly placed. They have taken water from the water intakes of several waterworks along the Han River, and the water quality has always been good.
