Ecology and the prosperity of a civilization are intertwined. At present, Jingzhou is revving up efforts to implement the integrated protection and restoration project for mountains, rivers, forests, farmland, lakes, grassland, and desert. Through restoration efforts, sewage-filled canals and lakes become gorgeous views where there is fish shuttling through the limpid water. The reeking canal and the muddy pond have regained favor from people.
The Laotang River is located in Yongfeng Village, Qinshi Township, Jiangling County, with a length of 789m. Without water from upstream, and polluted by domestic sewage, it became a filthy and smelly pit left to its own devices, causing serious harm to the lives of residents.
However, last year witnessed the changes. The Laotang River has been included in the integrated protection and restoration project for mountains, rivers, forests, farmland, lakes, grassland and desert launched in September 2022. In addition to obstacle removal, dredging and excavation, turfing across slopes, laying of porous asphalt trails, and the introduction of aquatic animals and plants, a sewage pipeline network has been laid to divert domestic sewage generated by 107 farming households in the surrounding area and water from 91 mu of farmland in the upper reaches of the West Main Canal into the ecological pond for further restoration.
Landscape projects have cleansed the sewage-filled ditch, as well as made the park a more beautiful place. In early summer, the park is verdantly gorgeous and attractive to waterbirds. The project on the shore of the lake is under intense construction: Excavators are filling soil back into holes, and sanitation workers are clearing vegetation and lawns on the slope. When you look around, you will see shades of green everywhere from aquatic plants in the center of the lake to trails around the lake and find it refreshing.
As of now, there have been 30 projects in the Chonghu Lake Area for integrated management of watersheds, with an investment of RMB1 billion, including 24 under planning and six under construction. These projects include integrated national land management projects, integrated management projects for mountains, rivers, forests, fields, lakes, grassland, and desert, the wastewater disposal projects in the northeast branch of the fishing ground in the Chonghu Lake, the wastewater disposal project in Hehuadian Village, Douhudi Town, the wastewater disposal project in Gaofeng Village, Zhakou Town, and the tourist highway in the Chonghu National Wetland Park.
Zhu Haitang, a person on behalf of the Chonghu National Wetland Park Conservation Center in Gong’an County, said: Through these landscape projects, you are able to see limpid water when the water level is high, grass when it is medium, and the beach when it is low. During the dry season, there is fish jumping out of the lake and birds flying by.
As of now, there have been 39 landscape sub-projects across the city, with a total planned investment of RMB7.216 billion. At present, all these sub-projects have been fully launched, and the completion rate is 43%. All districts of Jingzhou are actively exploring new models, new technologies, and new experience for watershed management and ecological conservation and restoration, and making every effort to build a new model for the conservation and restoration of rivers, lakes, and wetlands for plain areas across the country.