Proposal to beautify villages
Yang Yisheng, deputy secretary of the Wanxiu village committee, thinks the reason Wanxiu has been successful in the effort to beautify the countryside is that the villagers are eager to carry out the national policies.
Ding Hui,chief of Tujianao Town, added that Wanxiu Village is now a model for other villages nationwide.
Residents of Xiongsilin Wan, a village bordering Wanxiu,decided they could no longer tolerate their own dirty and disorderly conditions after seeing their neighbor's improvements. The village has now started its own beautification construction.
During the Spring Festival this year, a council dedicated to beautifying the village was set up in Xiongsilin Wan. Huang Dongrong, the leader of the council, said that the council plans to improve the roads, add greenery to the roadside and tear down any unsafe buildings. Huang hopes it will become a key village supported by the district next year. If they succeed, the village will receive RMB 2 millionfor construction.
Liangzi Lake district has put forward ageneral proposition for building beautiful villages centered on three areas. According to the plan, it will take three to five years to link these areas.
Voluntary work protects Yangzte River
Ezhou, 70 kilometers away from Wuhan, is the original habitat of Wuchang fish. A volunteer team in Ezhou named "Smile" is now taking action to protect the Yangtze River.
Liu Zhuangzhi, a member of the team, says there are about 100 members who visit the river banks weekly to report any problems the find.
The volunteers reported an illegal chemical workshop dumping lethal liquids into the waterways ,and the workshop has since been demolished.
Born and raised along the Yangtze River,Liu has witnessed its changes over the years. ln his childhood, the water was clean enough for swimming. Factories,docks and sandpits were later but,which altered the river's ecosystem. Since 2007, he and other eco-onscious locals started to pick up the garbage along the river banks. In 2016, they started tracking,collecting and mapping data of all human activities, including the operation of factories, sandpits and bridges, that affect the ecology of the Yangtze River.
Liu said that data from last year has not been made into a report yet.They want to wait several years so that it will be easier to see the significant changes. Liu and his fellow volunteers are happy to see the determination and effort made by the government to protect the Yangtze River. The govermment has already announced that all illegal sandpits and docks will be demolished in the next two years.
The Ezhou govermment has set up a special law- enforcement team. which includes staff from its water resources, environmental protection aqriculture and urban construction departments, to address these issues.
Recovery of water ecosystem
Fzhou benefits greatly from its abundant water resources. The city is vigorously trying to recover its water ecology. Clean water is the foundation of this commitment.
Last year, Ezhou initiated the "dream water village" program, aiming to recover the Greater Liangzi Lake water ecosystem. River parks and landscaping programs have been designed to tap into the economic, ecological and social benefits of the region.
A desilting campaign is being carried out in Wuzhang, Yushou, Dingqiao and Xiaoqiao ports, aiming to make polluted water cleaner. Discharge areas are inspected and interception facilities have been set up to address illegal discharging along the river. Storage ponds have also been added or adjusted in appropriate places.
Roads and bridges in the main urban area have been renovated and pollution control of Yanglan Lake has been implemented to create a green, dynamic and livable lakeside scenery belt.
Having blue sky, clean streets and crystal-clear lakes, Ezhou is indeed becoming a picturesque and environmentally- friendly city.