Drones used for detecting sewage outlets on Yangtze River

NANCHANG - Drones have been used for detecting sewage disposal on the section of the Yangtze River in east China's Jiangxi Province, according to local authorities.

The move is aimed to better protect the environment of the Yangtze, China's longest river. Drones will be used for spotting all the sewage outlets along a section about 152 km along the Yangtze River, and 511 km along the Ganjiang River, a tributary of the Yangtze.

The operation, initiated on Monday, will last for around 12 days and cover 31 industrial parks along the river in an area of about 2,900 square km.

Experts will analyze the videos shot by the drones to confirm the locations of the sewage outlets and decide on further moves to manage them accordingly.

China earlier this year unveiled an action plan to protect and restore the Yangtze River with goals including eliminating more than 90 percent of "black and odorous" water bodies in cities at or above prefecture level in the Yangtze River economic belt by the end of 2020.