Xifeng deepens river chief system to curb water pollution

Located in the upper reaches of the Wujiang River, Xifeng county in Guiyang, Southwest China's Guizhou province is an important ecological barrier in the upper Yangtze River, with many waterways running through the county. [Photo/Guiyang news network] 

Xifeng county has stepped up efforts to implement its river chief system, in which government leaders are appointed to be responsible for the protection and governance of a specific river. There are 16 rivers that run across the region in total, and the government has formulated conservation policies for each one of them. 

The water environment has been improved, thanks to the government's efforts to combine flood prevention with ecological restoration, and to combine water purification with improvements to living conditions.

With a length of 50 kilometers, Xifeng River is a major river that flows across the county. There are many highly populated areas along the river banks and abundant farmland. These areas, however, are where water pollution is most severe. 

To solve this problem, the county has fastened the construction of water governance infrastructure and upgraded its sewage disposal facilities. By 2020, sewage processing factories covered all designated towns in Xifeng, and its wastewater emission standards were raised to Class A and B. A digital platform was set up to help collect rural domestic garbage. 

In addition, Xifeng has explored many ways to engage the public in the "river chief" system, launching open recruitment of river chiefs and hiring third party supervisory institutions to periodically monitor the river management work. 

Since last year, Xifeng government has organized more than 7,000 inspection visits to rivers and lakes in the region, issued over 30 related documents, and collected more than 80 water problems.