Information on Pearl River pollution

Recently, "Ten thousand people swim on the Pearl River" has become a hot topic in Guangzhou.

The Pearl River is the mother river of Guangdong, nurturing millions of people from southern Guangdong. Since the 1980s, with the rapid economic development, the Pearl River, like many large rivers in my country, cannot escape the fate of being polluted by high speeds. Garbage floats on the river, and the water is black, smelly and greasy. A swim in the Pearl River has long become a beautiful memory of "old Guangzhou".

In recent years, the Guangzhou Municipal Government has made great determination to invest heavily in the improvement of the Pearl River, which has gradually improved the water quality of the Pearl River and basically eliminated the black and smelly phenomenon. This achievement is obvious to all. However, an unavoidable fact is that the Pearl River, which is neither black nor smelly, does not mean that citizens can swim freely.

According to the Chinese government's "Surface Water Environment Quality Standards", only water quality above Category III is suitable for human swimming. Monitoring data from the Guangdong Provincial Environmental Protection Bureau shows that in 2005, the Guangzhou section of the Pearl River reached Category IV water quality for seven months, April and November fell into Category V, and the water quality in January, February, and March was worse than Category V. . In other words, monitoring data from authoritative departments show that the Guangzhou section of the Pearl River has not yet reached water quality standards suitable for human swimming.

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Guangdong is the most economically developed province in the Pearl River Basin and the province that discharges the most pollution to the Pearl River. Last year, Guangdong's GDP accounted for 79.64% of the total GDP of the Pearl River Basin. According to reports, the water quality of rivers entering Guangdong has basically reached Category III or above, but after entering the Pearl River Delta, the water quality of some rivers is worse than Category V.

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Only 30 years ago, the Pearl River was a popular place for citizens to swim. However, since the 1980s, the biological life in the river has gradually disappeared, and the river water is black, smelly and greasy. The "water veins" in the city are also gradually cut off - it is now difficult to find a decent river in the inner city, and even the few rivers are blocked under concrete slabs due to the stench. The intimate contact between people and water has been ruthlessly blocked. The Pearl River is known as our "Mother River", but we have not been able to embrace this mother for many years.

How to have a clear Pearl River? The third "9+2 Pearl River Environmental Protection Tour"

2006-04-07 11:15:01 People's Daily - South China News Online Edition

A clear river competes for hundreds of boats (file picture)

Environmental protection volunteers and local people celebrated the unveiling of a monument at the source of the Pearl River

Photo by Zhang Guohui

Pearl River When will the source flow to the sea clearly?

A few days ago, the third "9+2 Pearl River Environmental Protection Tour" event organized by the Guangdong Provincial Tourism Bureau, Guangzhou Bandun Car Club and other units gathered more than 40 environmental protection volunteers from Hong Kong, Guangdong, Sichuan and other places The participants formed a self-driving team and drove from Guangzhou to Guangxi, through Guizhou to Yunnan, and arrived at Maxiong Mountain in Zhanyi County, Qujing City, the source of the Pearl River, driving nearly 5,000 kilometers round trip. The event aims to publicize the environmental protection of the mother river, the Pearl River, and "drink water and think of its source" as an emotional bond. It mobilizes the public to participate in the improvement and protection of the Pearl River, and to donate and fund education activities. People deep in the mountains praised the "9+2 Pearl River Environmental Protection Tour" for thousands of miles as a propaganda team; environmental volunteers deeply lamented: We have a long way to go to have a clear Pearl River.

Share environmental protection at the source

A clear and unrestrained stream of water pours out from the mountain stream, gathering into a pool of hundreds of square meters, and singing happily all the way to the Nanpan River, Beipan River, The Niulan River goes away. One drop of water flows into three rivers, originating from Ma Xiong Mountain. The three large red characters "Source of the Pearl River" above the stone wall of the water pool are particularly eye-catching against the sunlight and green branches. Is this the source of the Pearl River that everyone comes here to admire and is lingering in their feelings? People immediately cheered and couldn't help themselves.

At 11 a.m. on March 22, the convoy arrived at Ma Xiongshan, Zhanyi County, Qujing City, Yunnan Province, the source of the Pearl River. Zhanyi County held a grand welcome ceremony for environmental protection volunteers. Deputy Secretary of the County Party Committee Meng Jinghua delivered an affectionate speech: I live at the head of the river, and you live at the tail of the river. Environmental protection connects our hearts closely, and we develop together. The will unites our hearts tightly. He told reporters: In order to protect the source of the Pearl River, Zhanyi County established the Pearl River Source Nature Reserve in 1985. Villagers were moved out of the reserve and polluted enterprises and water flows were cleaned up. Environmental protection and tourism complemented each other. In 1998, it was designated by the state as a national reserve. The General Administration of Tourism has rated it as a 4A-level scenic spot. Nowadays, the scenic area covers an area of ??more than 10 square kilometers with green mountains, beautiful waters and clusters of flowers, which has become an environmentally friendly fruit shared by people.

As if to confirm Meng Jinghua’s words, when the environmental protection team visited the Pearl River Source Scenic Area, azaleas and camellias bloomed along the way. According to reports, the azalea varieties in the Pearl River Source account for more than one-sixth of China's azalea varieties. The azaleas and camellias in the scenic area also bloom particularly beautifully during the peak bloom period. This is undoubtedly an unexpected surprise for the environmental protection volunteers who came from afar. Having lived in the city for a long time, this sharing is particularly refreshing among the clear flowers at the source of the Pearl River.

The meaning of the connection between "head" and "tail"

In the source of the Pearl River, environmental protection is people's conscious action, and it also releases a strong sentiment in people's hearts.

At about 9 a.m. on March 23, a group of elderly self-driving environmental protection volunteers from Kunming City got in touch with the "9 2 Pearl River Environmental Protection Tour" convoy as scheduled. The two environmental protection convoys soon arrived in the Pearl River The sources converge to realize the interactive docking of "leading" and "dragon's tail" environmentally friendly self-driving cars.

This connection is quite meaningful. The elderly environmental protection volunteers from Kunming are all retired people. The oldest one is 73 years old, while among the environmental protection volunteers from Guangdong, the youngest one is only two years old. After the welcome ceremony, these elderly people and environmentalists from all walks of life immediately carried out water collection at the source of the Pearl River, donated source conservation forests and a series of environmental protection publicity activities. The green trees complemented the silver hair, which was truly touching.

At the conservation forest donation ceremony held at around 1:00 noon, the team members of the "9 2 Pearl River Environmental Protection Tour" did not bother to have lunch. One hundred and three hundred people lined up to donate. In the donation queue, the two-year-old child Liu Yangchuanzi was particularly eye-catching. He was held by his mother and lined up to donate money. His chubby little hands put the money into the donation box. Kawako's father Liu Fulai told reporters: He came to Guangzhou from Sichuan to work when he was 15 years old. Now, 16 years later, his catering industry has developed to a certain scale. He said that he started and developed in Guangdong by drinking the water of the Pearl River. He usually pays special attention to the environmental protection of the Pearl River. This time, the whole family specially arranged time to participate in this large-scale theme event. Liu Fulai also told reporters: Today is his and his son’s birthday. Drinking water and remembering its source has fulfilled Jiuzang's wish, and also cultivated children's affection for the Pearl River and environmental awareness, which is very memorable. Liu Fulai's introduction attracted reporters from the local news media to take photos of this "little environmental ambassador".

There are many topics about Pearl River environmental protection

The Pearl River is one of the seven major rivers in my country, ranking second in the country in terms of water volume after the Yangtze River. The Pearl River Basin covers an area of ??442,100 square kilometers in my country, and another 11,000 square kilometers in Vietnam. After the Pearl River originates from Ma Xiong Mountain with an altitude of 2,158 meters, the main stream flows through the four provinces of Yunnan, Guizhou, Guangxi and Guangdong and merges into the South China Sea. This trip passed through the main streams or tributaries of the Pearl River such as Guijiang, Beipanjiang, Liujiang, Hongshuihe, Nanpanjiang, Youjiang, Yongjiang, and Xijiang. What I saw and heard along the way was endless topics about the Pearl River’s environmental protection.

Generally speaking, industrial pollution and soil erosion are the two major problems of environmental protection in the Pearl River; the hardest hit areas for water pollution are cities and surrounding areas. In the areas above medium-sized cities along the way, there are few clear streams in the rivers; areas with dense enterprises are relatively seriously polluted. With development and construction, especially the construction of highways, railways, and bridges, construction units are not satisfied with soil and water conservation and vegetation protection. In some construction sites, quarries and coal mining areas deep in the mountains, accumulation of mud and rocks in rivers and exposed mountains are common, and black smoke rises from time to time in the mountains.

In some areas along the Beipan River, coal is washed on the river, causing the river water to turn black.

To protect the environment, management is so important. On March 21, when the convoy was passing through a contract section of the Zhenning-Shengjingguan expressway project in Panxian County, Guizhou Province, the brake pads of the pilot vehicle became hot, and the driver Xiaoyong went to a farmer's house on the roadside to get water to flush the vehicle. When he went to pick up the second bucket of water, the landlord looked troubled. When I asked, it turned out that the road construction team was digging randomly in the mountains, cutting off the water sources of local farmers, and the people had to go to the mountains two kilometers away to fetch water. The old man also said that at the foot of the hillside is a tributary that flows into the Nanpan River. When it rains, the mud and rocks on the mountain collapse and flow into the river, but no one cares about it.

The environment achieves the economy

It is true that the environment is also a productive force. When the car leaves Guiyang and enters the Guihuang Expressway, the mountains are green, the cauliflowers are yellow, and the beautiful scenery on both sides hits the face, just like walking through a painting. Zhou Yunhong, deputy general manager of Guizhou Huangguoshu Tourism Group Co., Ltd., told reporters that as a world natural heritage, the Huangguoshu Waterfall Scenic Area and surrounding areas have done better and better in environmental protection in recent years, and the number of tourists is increasing day by day. She gave an example: the number of tourists during this year’s Spring Festival Golden Week was six times that of last year’s Spring Festival Golden Week. According to the law that 1 yuan of tourism income can boost the income of related industries by 3 yuan, the economic income here has skyrocketed.

The unique natural scenery and cultural environment are also Yunnan’s cash cows. Qujing City, where the Pearl River originates, is not rich in water resources, with an average annual precipitation of just over 1,000 millimeters. It can be seen from the mountains in Qujing that due to the karst landform, many mountain top rocks are exposed and their water storage capacity is not strong. However, in order to ensure the long-term flow of clear water from the source of the Pearl River, Zhanyi County has established a nature reserve here, built a reservoir near the scenic spot, and implemented many environmental protection projects such as natural forest protection, returning farmland to forest, construction of the Pearl River protective forest, and rural energy construction. , the effect is outstanding. In the past seven years, the county has completed various types of artificial afforestation of 149,000 acres, and closed mountains for afforestation of 399,000 acres. The forest coverage rate reached 45.5%, of which the forest coverage rate in the Zhanyi section of the Pearl River Basin reached 57.5%. According to Meng Jinghua, with the launch of the Pan-Pearl River Delta Cooperation and the improvement of environmental protection effects, the tourism revenue of the Pearl River Source Scenic Area has doubled in recent years, not only attracting tourists from Hong Kong, Macao and the Pearl River Delta region to come all the way to explore the source, but also attracting tourists With constant investors and enthusiastic people from all walks of life donating to build schools and support education, the economic development of Zhanyi County is tangible.

When will the river be clear again?

Development is the last word, and scientific development is the theme of the times. On the Pearl River Environmental Protection Tour, wherever you pass, you will see construction scenes seeking development and rapid development. How to synchronize development with environmental protection and avoid the detour of exchanging environment for development is a lesson learned from the past.

Environmental protection is also a common sight along the way, especially on some important river banks, where protective forest construction areas and mountain closures for afforestation slogans are everywhere. Qinglong County in Guizhou Province has also designated a "key management area" for soil and water conservation on the bank of the Nanpan River and erected a monument to mark the area, which is very solemn. At the source of the Pearl River, you can see four meaningful inscriptions engraved on the stone walls on both sides of the cave entrance: "A long history", "A common source of economics", "A source of water from the West", and "Drinking water reminds you of its source". They are inscriptions by the former leaders of Yunnan, Guizhou, Guangxi and Guangdong provinces (districts) respectively, expressing the unanimous wishes of the people of the Pearl River Basin - to drink from the same river and to protect the water from the same river.

"The purpose of organizing this activity is to promote the concept of environmental protection of the Pearl River to be deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, and to return the Pearl River to a clean river as soon as possible." General manager of the Guangzhou Bandun Automobile Club and the main organizer of the "9+2" Pearl River Environmental Protection Tour Planner and organizer Yuan Jianxiong told reporters with emotion. Three years ago, Yuan Jianxiong, who was dedicated to the self-driving tourism business, came up with the idea of ??incorporating environmental protection into self-driving tours after passing through the source and main stream of the Pearl River many times. He hoped that self-driving tours would make a contribution to the environmental protection of the Pearl River. The self-driving environmental protection trip to the Pearl River organized for the first time in 2003 generated an enthusiastic response from the society. Yuan Jianxiong was deeply encouraged by this, and from then on he decided to organize it every March.

The trickles of water merge into a river. The “9+2” Pearl River Environmental Protection Tour is just a trickle of water in the Pearl River Environmental Protection Initiative.

If the trickling streams of clear water converge, will the clear water of the Pearl River be far behind?

Pan-Pearl River Pan-Pearl Theory

Owning the Pearl River has responsibility

The route of the third "9 2 Pearl River Environmental Protection Tour"

One sentence The general idea is: Even if all the tears are gathered into a river, they will not become a clear Pearl River. This was a bit of an exaggeration, but it had a strong rhetorical effect. Protect the Pearl River, pay attention to environmental protection, and don't make future generations burst into tears.

Owning the Pearl River means first and foremost having a sense of pride. The Pearl River is the mother river. As one of the seven major rivers in my country, it runs through Southwest and South China. It is so majestic that it has nurtured the splendid Pearl River culture and the civilization of the Pearl River Basin. The launch of the Pan-Pearl River Delta Cooperation has added impetus to the modern civilization process of the Pearl River, and also injected the current of development into the Pearl River. Owning the Pearl River brings more responsibility. It is an important historical task to protect the Pearl River, restore its clear flow, and irrigate the vitality of sustainable development.

The important task lies on our shoulders, the key is action. The environmental protection of the Pearl River has attracted more and more people's attention, and measures to protect the Pearl River in various parts of the Pearl River Basin are also effective and diverse. However, the important task of controlling pollution in the Pearl River has not been relieved. Relevant expert analysis pointed out that the current water resources protection in the Pearl River Basin is mainly faced with the increasingly prominent water pollution problem, the quality of drinking water sources is very worrying, the degree of ecological environment damage is still intensifying, the water resources are severely wasted and the awareness of water conservation is weak, and the pollution of the Pearl River mouth is quite serious. 5 serious problems. Therefore, the environmental protection of the Pearl River needs comprehensive management. It is a matter of cooperation and development that the source, the end of the river, the upper, middle and lower reaches work together to protect the Pearl River.

Cooperation wins development and responsibility leads to the future. Only by having responsibility can you own the Pearl River. (Yu Xin)

Voices

After searching for the source

Having drank the Pearl River water for decades, I have always cherished the dream of "drinking water and remembering the source". In March this year, I finally had the opportunity to participate in the "9+2 Pearl River Environmental Protection Tour" event to fulfill a dream that I have had for many years.

Vast mountains, scattered primeval forests; gurgling streams, fresh and moist air; green everywhere, and the chirping of insects and birds. This is my reverie about the source of the Pearl River and the paradise in my heart. With this vision in mind, I left Guangzhou and traveled back to the city.

The car kept running, getting closer and closer to the source. There are more and more mountains, the rivers are getting clearer, and the air is much better than in the city. But when you really set foot on the plateau and go deep into the mountains, you can see more and more limestone areas with karst landforms. There are few forests and poor farming conditions. There are terraced fields that have been cultivated one after another in the stone gaps along the hillside. This clear scene makes people think a lot. Human beings and the natural environment are interdependent and are a trinity of past, present and future. When I think about this, I feel like I have some responsibility on my shoulders.

After more than 3 days of travel, we arrived at the source of the Pearl River - the Pearl River Source Scenic Area in Zhanyi County, Yunnan Province. But there are no vast mountains, and there is no virgin forest as expected. But there are springs trickling and rivers clear. As far as the eye can see, the source of Ma Xiong Mountain is more of an artificial forest, full of rhododendrons and low shrubs, which is always some distance from the source of the river in my imagination. There was a kind of desolation in my heart. The sources of China's great rivers all originate from high mountains, and almost all of them are in the deep mountains in the northwest and southwest. Rivers give birth to life, nurture modern civilization, and create wealth and development in the middle and lower reaches, but they are barren and remote at their source. Between man and nature, the environment and life, how many historical causes do we not really understand?

Looking at the clear spring under the three characters "Pearl River Source", my thoughts jumped in time and space. Maybe, this was once a vast forest, and waterfalls and torrents created the Pearl River; maybe... I can imagine many possibilities, but facing the quiet trickle, one thing is certain, the water source of the Pearl River is facing natural challenges. We are facing a dilemma between development and environmental protection. Perhaps we should reflect on the impact of human activities on the environment from another level and find a way to achieve harmony between man and nature.

"Ask you where you can find such clear water, so that there is a source of living water." Whenever we look at the turbid and even odorous Pearl River, we often blame it on the uncontrolled discharge of industrial and domestic sewage along the river basin, while little attention is paid to the source. It seems that the source of live water is inexhaustible.

When the downstream develops rapidly thanks to technological advancements in transportation convenience, we ignore the development needs of the upstream. If the source dries up, where is the water in the river? Drink water and think of its source. What water should you drink and think of its source?

Protecting the ecological environment has become a common sense for more and more people. Environmental protection is a systematic project and a difficult problem. The damage done by one generation may require the hard work of several generations to compensate.

Next to the three characters "Pearl River Source", the companions began to line up to donate for the Pearl River Source Environmental Protection. I followed immediately. (Zheng Zhenyi)

Deep in the mountains, you often encounter thick smoke

The scenery beside the Guihuang Expressway is very attractive

Pictures speak for themselves

Important data

●According to the Pearl River Basin Water Resources Protection Work Conference held in Shenzhen in September 2005, the total amount of wastewater discharged from the Pearl River in 2004 was 18.27 billion tons, of which wastewater entering the river The wastewater discharge volume in the Pearl River Delta is 13.95 billion tons, accounting for 52% of the total.

●Yang Desheng, a water conservancy expert from the Yangtze River Water Conservancy Commission, said: The area of ??water and soil loss in Yunnan and Guizhou accounts for 30-40% of the local rainwater collection area. The area of ??water and soil loss in the entire Pearl River Basin reaches 62,700 square kilometers, about 100 million cubic meters per year. of sediment flows into the Pearl River.

●Since 2002, Guangdong Province has unified arrangements for cities along the river in accordance with the Pearl River Improvement Plan, increased water pollution prevention and control, and proposed that all cities in the Pearl River Delta will build national environmental protection model cities by 2010 and 2020. The goal of building an ecological city. (Editor: Li Meiyi)

Author: Planning: "Greater Pearl River Delta" Weekly Department Pictures/Text: Yu Jixin (except signature)