People''s Daily Online | From ''dirty'' to ''beautiful'', Hainan''s'' human water relationship ''becomes more'' friendly and clean ''

In Hainan, 'pro Qing' is not only about political and business relations, but also about the relationship between people and water.

'Six water co treatment', pollution control comes first. Urban sewage treatment is directly related to the vital interests and quality of life of millions of people. In recent years, Hainan has clearly put forward the core of improving water quality, focusing on the treatment of black and odorous water bodies, improving the quality and efficiency of urban sewage, intercepting and managing sewage, separating rainwater and sewage, and carrying out comprehensive water treatment throughout the region.

Today, we approach the Yawei River, Meishe River, and Dingcun sunken reclaimed water plant in Haikou to analyze the ultimate "code" for urban sewage treatment in Hainan.

Yawei Creek has changed from dirty to beautiful. Photo by Meng Fansheng from People's Daily Online

After the implementation of the "Four Measures" policy, Yawei Creek has transformed from "dirty" to "beautiful"

For people living in the city, having a river at their doorstep is such a lucky thing.

Walking on the waterfront boardwalk of Yawei Creek Wetland Park on Haidian Island in Haikou, what catches the eye is the rippling blue waves, lush green trees, and a refreshing and comfortable atmosphere hidden among the flowers and plants.

However, before 2016, this was a different scene.

There is a large amount of garbage floating on the surface of the water, and the river is filled with black silt, emitting a foul odor. "Mr. Huang, who lives on Erdong Road in Haidian, recalled the previous scene and shook his head repeatedly.

The visual "pollution" and olfactory "odor" almost make people forget the original name of this river - Yawei Creek, replaced by "garbage river" and "stinky ditch".

In 2016, Yawei Creek was exposed by the media as a typical urban black and odorous water body in China. Afterwards, Haikou made up its mind and began river regulation work.

First, find the 'cause'. Due to historical "arrears", some urban areas in Haikou have gradually experienced pollution loads exceeding their ecological carrying capacity. Municipal facilities have a weak foundation, combined rainwater and sewage, old and severely damaged pipelines, and insufficient sewage treatment capacity. These are the challenges that urban sewage treatment must face.

In September 2016, the Haikou Municipal Government adopted the "PPP+EPC+supervision" model to implement the Yawei River water environment treatment project. The Gezhouba project company conducted a survey of the surrounding pipeline network, conducted in-depth investigations into the causes of black and odorous emissions, and developed a scientific and systematic treatment plan. The Yawei River treatment work was carried out through four technical paths: "source control and pollution interception, endogenous treatment, water replenishment and active water, and ecological restoration".

The "interception and collection of pollutants" has become a major highlight of pollution control. According to relevant personnel, a total of 27 pollution sources were rectified in the early stage of Yawei River, 1144 meters of sewage interception pipelines were laid, 2 integrated sewage lifting pump stations with a total treatment capacity of 11100 m ³/d were newly built, 2 water purification stations with a total treatment capacity of 6700 m ³/d were constructed, 7 sewage interception gates were installed, 167000 m ³ of river sediment was cleaned, 83 new aerators were added, 16600 m ³ of biological blankets were laid, and 1100 m of revetment section was renovated.

After a complete set of "combination punches", the water quality of Yawei Creek has been significantly improved, but the river still faces problems such as a relatively single ecosystem, lack of water and public recreational space.

In April 2019, the construction project of the Yawei Creek wetland ecosystem officially started.

The Yaweixi Wetland Ecological Park has introduced a slow-moving system and constructed elevated walkways to enrich the waterfront experience, activate waterfront spaces, and enhance the waterfront experience for citizens. In addition, the construction of complex and variable river section spaces can improve the instability of slopes. Improve hydrodynamics, increase water flow velocity during dry season and low tide level, and reduce riverbed siltation; Restoration of ecological corridors and construction of biological habitats. Construct winding shorelines and biological tree islands to increase the wetted surface area and shape diverse aquatic habitats.

The transformation of Yawei River from "dirty" to "beautiful" has become a vivid footnote to urban sewage treatment in Hainan.

Meishe River Fengxiang Wetland Park. Photo by Meng Fansheng from People's Daily Online

After returning water to the people, the banks of the Meishe River became even more lively

Recently, the "Mother River" Meishe River in Haikou has received a new honor - being selected as the second "Most Beautiful Hometown River" in China.

There is a reason why she is called the 'mother river' of Haikou. This river, with a total length of about 16 kilometers, flows through three districts of Longhua, Qiongshan, and Meilan in Haikou City, passing through 493 residential communities and 16 urban villages, benefiting more than 300000 people.

However, for a long time, she has also faced the same problem as Yawei Creek.

In the Meishe River remediation work, the staff searched and intercepted 125 sewage outlets. To some extent, a considerable portion of the Meishe River at that time belonged to various types of "sewage". Especially in summer, the pungent smell causes unbearable suffering to the residents along the coast, and almost all the windows near the Meishe River are closed.

At the end of 2017, the Meishe River in Haikou completed the main construction contents such as sewage interception and pipe collection, river dredging, water ecological restoration, demonstration section landscape improvement, integrated sewage treatment station and lift pump station, Fengxiang Park wetland, etc., and the Meishe River began to become beautiful again.

After the urban sewage treatment, the beautiful scenery has returned. I can usually see waterbirds, and I also choose to exercise by the river on weekends. At night, there is singing and dancing here, and everything is beautiful. I am proud to have such a river, "said Mr. Chen, a resident who has lived by the Meishe River since childhood.

The management of the Meishe River has another major highlight: activating the waterfront space and returning water to the people.

During the renovation process, 22 new civic activity squares with an area of 11911 square meters were added, 9.8 kilometers of characteristic slow lanes and 6.6 kilometers of waterfront boardwalks were built along the river, and 28000 square meters of mangrove forests were planted. It is reported that Meishe River Fengxiang Park has become the most beautiful scenic spot in Haikou City. In August 2017, Meishe River was awarded the title of National Water Conservancy Scenic Area, making significant contributions to Haikou's recognition as one of the world's first "International Wetland Cities".

In addition to improving the environment, the concept of returning water to the people in the management of the Meishe River has greatly enhanced the commercial value of the area along the river and the appreciation space of surrounding land. The saying 'Green mountains and clear waters are as valuable as mountains of gold and silver' is fully reflected in the management of the Meishe River.

In 2018, Meishe River was listed on the national honor list for urban black and odorous water treatment, and was also selected as one of the top ten ecological treatment cases for black and odorous rivers. In June 2019, Haikou was awarded the title of National Demonstration City for Black and Stinky Water Treatment. In January 2020, the Ministry of Environmental Protection promoted successful cases of water treatment in the Meishe River on its official website. In 2023, Meishe River was awarded the second "Most Beautiful Hometown River" by the Ministry of Water Resources of China.

The beautiful "most beautiful hometown river" Meishe River is recreated, and with its broad mind, it nourishes the estuary of Coconut City.

Children playing and frolicking in Meishe River Fengxiang Wetland Park. Photo by Meng Fansheng from People's Daily Online

After sewage enters the pipeline, the urban environment becomes fresher

If it weren't for the on-site signs and staff introductions, it would be difficult for reporters to combine the garden like scenery in front of them with the "sewage treatment plant".

This is the first sunken reclaimed water plant (Phase I) of China Water Environment Group located at No. 17 Yingbin Avenue, Chengxi Town, Longhua District, Haikou City. It is also the first sunken reclaimed water plant built in Hainan.

Our sewage treatment facilities are all underground and use internationally leading biological deodorization technology. After centralized collection and treatment of odors, they are discharged stably and meet the standards, completely solving the inherent problems of environmental avoidance effect odor and noise pollution in sewage treatment facilities. The person in charge of the Haikou Dingcun Submerged Reclaimed Water Plant of China Water Environment Group stated that the plant relies on a distributed sunken reclaimed water ecosystem, and the effluent quality indicators, except for total nitrogen, meet the Class IV standard for surface water. Some of them are used for reclaimed water reuse instead of tap water for urban municipal water spraying, road cleaning, and other purposes. Some are used as stable water sources to supplement the ecological water of Fengxiang Wetland Park and Meishe River on site, realizing the use of sewage as the second water source for the city.

At the same time, the ground construction is a beautiful municipal park, open to the public for free, providing an excellent place for surrounding residents to relax and exercise, greatly improving the ecological environment quality within the project service area, enhancing the happiness and satisfaction of surrounding residents, and achieving established social and economic benefits.