Tonglu wins provincial honor for water management efforts

A view of Tonglu county in East China's Zhejiang province. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Tonglu county in East China's Zhejiang province was again conferred with the Dayu Award for its achievements in water management over the past year.

The Dayu Award, which is the highest honor one can receive in Zhejiang in the field of water management, is named after Dayu, a legendary Chinese hero known for taming the flooding of the Yellow River.

Tonglu has seen steady improvements in water quality in recent years. In 2021, the quality of more than 90 percent of the 123 sampled surface water from 114 major rivers in the county were classified as Grade II or above. Grade II is the second-highest level in a five-tier quality system for water in China. 

In addition, drinking water sources at or above the county level attained national quality standards, official statistics show.

The improvement of water quality can be partly attributed to the "river chief" system, which sees officials at each level of government appointed to take charge of the water sources in their area. This system has been implemented across Tonglu.

Meanwhile, a campaign by the local government has restored more than 500 small water bodies in over 180 villages in the county, benefiting over 100,000 people.

The local government has also reached partnerships with surrounding areas, including Fuyang district and Lin'an district in Hangzhou, to enhance water control. 

Looking ahead, the government said it will sustain its efforts to reduce the direct discharge of sewage, prevent water pollution, and further improve the quality of the river.