In order to further implement our city’s long-term comprehensive mechanism for improving water quality in rivers (including lakes and reservoirs) and show the new results and new changes achieved by our city in river (lake and reservoir) improvement before the Spring Festival, the municipal government has recently launched an effort to improve the quality of water, which is called “the Action for the Spring Festival.”

The action started to be taken one month before the Spring Festival. With the aim of eliminating the “five disturbances” to rivers (including lakes and reservoirs), government departments at all levels, people in charge of rivers (lakes and reservoirs) and other social forces have been mobilized to implement “three special operations, two rectification plans and one comprehensive program” across the city. The “three special operations” refer to the clear-up of rivers (lakes and reservoirs), the crackdown on illegal sand mining and the eradication of illegal fishing. The “two rectification plans” aim to eliminate acts of illegal occupying shorelines and remove water hyacinths and alligator weed. The “comprehensive program” is to allocate the governance responsibilities for rivers (lakes and reservoirs).”

The Action requires clearing all kinds of garbage from Grade 4 rivers (including lakes and reservoirs), including the surfaces and banks so as to make them look totally clean; cracking down on illegal sand mining and fishing, achieving ecological farming, and exploring ways to establish long-term systems and mechanisms for ecological farming, breeder releasing and ecological fishing; clearing and demolishing buildings that block water or violate regulations left over from history; removing water hyacinths and alligator weed from the main rivers (including lakes and reservoirs) running through central areas and the countryside; allocating the responsibilities for the governance, protection and control of rivers (including lakes and reservoirs), and drawing ecological red lines to ensure effective control over waters.

Party committees and governments will inspect the results of “the Action for the Spring Festival” from January 26 to 31, 2020. Organizations or individuals that have not performed their duties well will be held accountable. Through this Action, the city will establish a long-term mechanism for the governance and protection of rivers (including lakes and reservoirs), and strive to create “clear water, smooth waterways, green banks and beautiful scenery” in 3–5 years.