Learning power | The water by the Nanming River is clear and the scenery is beautiful. A group of people guard poetry and the distance

  On a summer morning, by the Nanming River in Guiyang City, with lush greenery and swaying water waves, dozens of egrets frolic and forage in the water. The photographers on the shore focus on recording this vivid scene

Behind this poetic picture of harmonious coexistence between humans and nature, there is a group of silent efforts by river rangers. They left their footprints on the riverbank day after day, day after day, and guarded the mother river with persistence and sweat.

On June 18th, the 8th Guizhou Ecological Day, three river patrol officers from China Water Environment Group Guizhou Zhuxin Water Environment Industry Co., Ltd. shared their river patrol stories with reporters from Colorful Guizhou Network.

Do something, patrol a river, and be an environmentalist for a lifetime

On the morning of June 16th at 7 o'clock, Li Zhi set off as usual to the section from Jiaxiulou to Shuikou Temple on the Nanming River, and began a day of river patrol work.

Li Zhi is a native of Guiyang, 48 years old this year. He started working as a river patrol officer on the Nanming River in 2017. No matter how hot or cold it is, he goes to the riverbank every day to take a walk and see if there is any garbage on the water surface and if the water quality is polluted.

During each river patrol, Li Zhi would record the width, depth, location, and surrounding environment of the river in the form of pictures and text. Now, his phone is filled with photos and videos of the river, which not only witness the changes in the ecological environment of Nanming River, but also carry the simple ecological sentiment of a river inspector.

Li Zhi is inspecting drowning prevention materials in the river channel

"When I was a child, my family lived near the Nanming River. At that time, the river was very clear and beautiful, and I often played and swam in the river." Li Zhi recalled that later, with economic development and population growth, garbage, domestic sewage, and enterprise pollution caused the deterioration and serious pollution of the Nanming River. "The most uncomfortable thing in summer is not the hot weather, but the pungent stench emanating from the rivers."

In order to revitalize the appearance of the Nanming River, in 2012, Guiyang City launched the Nanming River Environmental Comprehensive Improvement Project; In 2015, a leading group for the comprehensive improvement of the water environment in the Nanming River and Aha Reservoir basins was established, led by the main leaders of the Guiyang Municipal Government, to vigorously promote the comprehensive management of the Nanming River; In 2017, multiple measures were formulated to gradually overcome the historical stubborn disease that troubled the long-term governance of the Nanming River but was difficult to clear, and phased results were achieved in promoting the comprehensive management of the Nanming River Basin

Rivers need to be treated, but more importantly, they need to be managed and protected. "For the people of Guiyang, the Nanming River is a unique complex that carries the memories of generations after generations," said Li Zhi.

"I conduct daily inspections of the subcontracted areas to ensure the cleanliness of the water surface and embankments of the rivers and canals." Li Zhi said that during inspections, not only should I keep records of the inspections, but I also need to promptly stop and report any disorderly dumping, disorderly discharge, occupation, or construction within the scope of river and canal management. Once the water quality of the river suddenly becomes turbid or polluted, he needs to spend more time searching for the source of pollution. In addition to notifying relevant departments to handle it, he also needs to take on the responsibility of popularizing and improving the environmental awareness of relevant unit personnel.

He introduced that river patrols are just a way to awaken public awareness of environmental protection from the "root". On weekdays, after the river patrol, he would promote the significance of river cleaning to the surrounding people, calling on everyone not to throw garbage into the river and build a beautiful home together.

"You see, everyone's awareness of protecting the environment is becoming stronger and stronger. Compared to before, the river is a world of difference." Li Zhi said, "To control water, we must first govern people's hearts, and to carry out river management work, everyone must participate.".

Over the years, under the strong governance of Guiyang City, the Nanming River has regained its former beauty. Nowadays, the river water is clear and transparent, and the riverbank scenery is beautiful. Li Zhi has also found the "Nanming River" in his memory.

"The Nanming River has nurtured me, and it is my responsibility to protect her." Li Zhi said, "I want to be an environmentalist for a lifetime by doing something and patrolling the river.".

Detect a pair of "fiery eyes" and never miss any hidden dangers

Rainy days prevent floods, sunny days prevent drowning, and we also need to do a good job in river management. For Wei Guanghong, the river is like a second home. Although the work of a river patrol officer is tiring, he works with relish.

"Pay attention to the drainage situation of the river." "Have the lifebuoys on both sides of the railing been arranged?" On the afternoon of June 17th, Wei Guanghong finished his lunch and began patrolling the river again.

"The terrain of the West Lake section of Jiaxiulou is relatively low. After a long period of rainfall, the water level of the river can easily rise rapidly to the riverside walkway. For the safety of pedestrians and cleaning workers, this section is designated as a key inspection point." Wei Guanghong added.

Having worked for over 2000 days and nights, Wei Guanghong's experience of patrolling the river has equipped him with a pair of "fiery eyes and golden eyes". For water anomalies that ordinary people cannot detect, he will make a preliminary judgment on the cause by observing changes in river color and odor, and take water samples for monitoring personnel to test.

Wei Guanghong inspects the air purification (deodorization) equipment in the river channel

During a river patrol, Wei Guanghong passed by the vicinity of the Liberation Bridge on the Nanming River and heard a strange sound of water flow. He thought to himself, "There is no drainage outlet here, why is there a sound of water flow?"? Due to the green trees blocking the view by the bridge, it was temporarily difficult to see clearly. So he stopped, pulled open the green trees and looked carefully into the river, only to find that there was sewage flowing out of an old residential area.

He immediately reported the situation to the Water Bureau of Guiyang City and assisted relevant functional departments in collecting information and investigating pollution sources. Finally, after investigation, it was found that the drainage network in the community had ruptured, and the pipeline facilities were outdated and aging. Whenever there was a peak period of sewage discharge, some sewage would flow out. Subsequently, he cooperated with functional departments to coordinate with the community property management company to clean and repair the drainage network, avoiding sewage from polluting the river again.

It is not easy to patrol the river. In summer, under the high temperature of over 30 degrees Celsius, Wei Guanghong had to drink 2 liters of water while patrolling the river, and his clothes were so wet that they could wring water out. Long periods of exposure to sunlight have made his shoulders, neck, and back of hands dark.

When asked by the reporter, what is the deepest feeling during the river patrol and protection?

"Over the years, seeing the river become more and more beautiful and the number of citizens taking walks by the river has filled my heart with a sense of achievement," said Wei Guanghong.

During the inspection process, Wei Guanghong would pay extra attention to whether there were any fallen branches in the gate area of the river. "No hidden danger should be overlooked, otherwise when it rains heavily, it may get stuck in the ditch and affect normal drainage, which may cause big trouble."

Every time Wei Guanghong goes out, his 7-year-old daughter reminds his father to pay attention to safety. On weekends, he also takes his children on river patrols and tells them some knowledge about water ecological protection. On the long riverbank, one can often see the figures of father and daughter holding hands and walking towards the distance.

Walk 40000 steps every day for 8 years and wear out 20 pairs of shoes

Which sewage outlet has abnormalities, which river has more garbage on its section... In the past, in order to understand the crux of Nanming River governance, these situations were clearly recorded in Qiu Mingwen's diary.

Qiu Mingwen is a post-80s generation with 8 years of experience in river patrol, mainly responsible for the inspection and management of the Nanming River section from No.1 Middle Bridge to Wuyanqiao.

Discovering sources of pollution must be reported in a timely manner; It is dangerous for citizens to play in the river and must be immediately discouraged; During the rainy and flood season, the sudden rise of the river water endangers safety, and preventive measures must be taken.

"Recently, there was mostly continuous rainfall in Guiyang. After the rain stopped or the rainfall decreased, it was necessary to conduct inspections as soon as possible, mainly to check whether the river guardrails and protective walls were damaged due to the rain." Qiu Mingwen said that he dared not fall asleep on rainy nights and always paid attention to emergencies. It doesn't matter if he walks more when he is tired. The most important thing is that the safety of the people can be guaranteed.

"The problem lies in the water, and the root is on the shore," Qiu Mingwen often said. For many years, he has been engaged in river inspection and management work. Within the river section he is responsible for, more than 50 cases have been discovered, including illegal discharge of sewage, leakage from interception ditches, and damage to river facilities.

Qiu Mingwen reminds the cleaners to clean up the river garbage in a timely manner

One day in May 2018, while inspecting the Jiefang Bridge section of the river, he discovered a serious situation of mud and sewage pollution in the river body. After discovering the situation on the same day, Qiu Mingwen took photos and uploaded them while searching upstream. As a result, he found that the illegal pollution discharge point was located in the section of Jiefang West Road General Bridge, and the pollution discharge unit was a Guizhou real estate development company responsible for the construction of Qingshan Road and bridge.

"When I found out about this construction company, they were doing pile grouting and directly discharging mud into the Nanming River. At that time, I notified relevant departments such as municipal, environmental protection, and river management, and each unit immediately stopped and punished them." He admitted that he was the first to conduct an on-site inspection of the water quality changes in the river and search for pollution sources, in order to protect the clear water at the doorstep of the people's homes.

It's already hard enough to patrol the river every morning and evening, but Qiu Mingwen, who pursues perfection, still "self aggravates": from March to June every year is a fishing ban, and some people can't help but steal fishing, so they have to be managed; Every Tomb Sweeping Day and Zhongyuan Festival Festival, someone steals paper money by the river at night

"It's not enough to just be 'broad' in management, but to be well managed in terms of ideas. In order to master more ecological and environmental protection knowledge, Qiu Mingwen strives to learn relevant professional knowledge online and offline."; Strictly implement the responsibility of patrolling the river, persist in inspecting safety hazards, promptly clean up garbage by the river, and encourage residents to travel the river in a civilized manner; Utilize community WeChat groups, QQ groups, and other platforms to promote and guide environmental awareness among residents in the jurisdiction.

When someone asked him why he didn't ride his bike to patrol the river, he smiled and said, "Look carefully on foot, handle whatever you can, and lay a solid foundation to achieve permanent success."

The river patrol mainly relies on walking, taking 40000 steps every day. Since working in 2016, Qiu Mingwen has worn out more than 20 pairs of sports shoes.

Although patrolling the river is tiring, my heart is beautiful. The water surface was sparkling and clear, with trees and buildings on both sides of the river complementing each other. Everything in front of him made Qiu Mingwen's face smile.

Interview postscript:

On the banks of the Nanming River, a group of river patrol officers take care of a clear stream of water

Three river patrol officers silently guard the clear waters of a bay of Nanming River

The winding mother river moistens a city.

As the "mother river" of the citizens of Guiyang, Nanming River is a tributary of the Wujiang River in the Yangtze River system and an important ecological barrier in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River. It has a total length of 219 kilometers, including 185 kilometers within Guiyang city. However, with the development of the economy and society, the central urban section of the Nanming River has long been in poor Class V water quality, becoming a "lifeless river". After years of treatment, the water quality in the central urban area of Nanming River has stabilized to Class IV or above, and some areas have reached Class III or above.

Looking back at the Nanming River now, the urban section of the main stream has a rich variety of aquatic plant species, and the coverage rate of submerged plants has increased from 15% to 80%. It is often seen that birds such as egrets and Chinese sand ducks come to forage and inhabit, adding vitality to a stream of clear water.

Protect the Mother River and never slack off for a day.

"We adhere to the comprehensive implementation of the concept of green development, promote the construction of ecological civilization, actively innovate new models of river management, establish and improve normal mechanisms, select 9 full-time river inspectors, and conduct daily inspections on the core section of the Nanming River and its tributaries (such as the Shixi River and Guancheng River), effectively promoting the continuous improvement of the water ecological environment in Guiyang." said Zhou Fubo, manager of the River Operation and Maintenance Center of Guizhou Zhuxin Water Environment Industry Co., Ltd. of China Water Environment Group.

A flowing river, a group of united and enterprising river patrollers.

There are still many unknown river patrol officers like Li Zhi, Wei Guanghong, and Qiu Mingwen who stand guard on the front line. From sunrise to sunset, from midsummer to winter, they accompany the Nanming River year-round and travel with the green, conducting comprehensive and detailed inspections around the chaotic collapse, disorderly arrangement, occupation, and construction of the river, guarding the green waters and mountains, benefiting future generations, and contributing to the peace of the Nanming River.