Staff members of the Qidong Zhengkang Cleaning Co Ltd clear the Touxinggang River in Huilong town of hyacinth and rubbish every morning to keep the water clean and flowing freely. [Photo/ntfabu.com]

Even in the heat of midsummer, staff members of Qidong Zhengkang Cleaning Co Ltd clear the water hyacinths and rubbish floating on the Touxinggang River in Huilong town every morning to keep its water clean and flowing freely.

As required by the national water law, the Touxinggang River in Huilong town has been the only emergency backup water source in Qidong, a county-level city of Nantong since 2009.

To ensure the safety of the water resource, during the last decade Qidong has laid equal stress on each link of protection, such as system design and implementation of specific measures. Especially since the river chief system was implemented three years ago, the cleaning and safety supervision of the emergency backup water resource has been further strengthened.

The city set up a boundary marker for the water resource protection area, and installed 22 water traffic warning signs, 10 billboards on water resource protection and a 3,000-meter isolation fence in the first-level protection area. Automatic water quality monitoring points are set up at the intake of the water resource and 2 kilometers upstream of that point.

The cleaning company has also dedicated ships and staff members to take charge of the cleaning work in the area around the clock.

Under the efforts of all parties, the emergency drinking water resource has always been in good condition over the past decade.

In accordance with rectification comments made during technical inspections carried out in June of this year by the provincial departments of water conservancy, ecology and environment, as well as housing and urban-rural development, Qidong is stepping up restoration of greenery and clean-up of agricultural planting in the Huilong emergency water source area and striving to achieve closed management of the first-level protection zone.