Taizhou launches funded Yangtze River protection initiative

The city of Taizhou in East China's Jiangsu province recently unveiled its 2024 Healthy Yangtze River initiative, committing an investment of 1.7 billion yuan ($234.1 million) to complete 45 key projects in the current year.

The initiative includes eight specialized actions aimed at promoting ecological and environmental improvements along the Yangtze River.

They include:

Green manufacturing system development: This action focuses on strengthening the controls of the river sources by nurturing green factories, parks and industry supply companies, aiming to establish 10 green manufacturing demonstration units at or above the provincial level.

Water quality and pollution controls: This involves revisiting the inspections and remedial work after sewage outflows along the Yangtze and its tributaries.

Cities and districts along the river will re-evaluate the completion of these tasks on-site, enhance data-sharing mechanisms for water quality and hydrology, as well as leverage regulatory platforms and big data – to improve the detection, analysis and tracing of environmental violations.

Ecosystem restoration: This action emphasizes protecting biodiversity –  particularly special species like finless porpoises and birds along the river. It includes the construction of biodiversity observation stations and the development of the Taixing Tianxingzhou "ecological island" experimental zone.

Urban sewage management: Focused on upgrading sewage networks and improving key river channels.

Happy rivers and lakes initiative: This encompasses dredging and rehabilitating main rivers and lakes.

Agricultural pollution control and fishing ban: Includes reducing fertilizer use, improving the efficiency of agricultural production waste collection and utilization and enforcing the Yangtze fishing ban.

Port and ship pollution controls: This involves upgrading the power facilities and the engines on ships to reduce their emissions.