In order to improve the response mechanism for environmental emergencies, respond to environmental emergencies in a scientific and orderly manner, reduce losses, protect the ecological environment, and ensure public safety and social stability, on November 11, the "2021 Nanjing Water Pollution Emergency Incident 'Ningzhen Yang' Linkage Emergency Drill" jointly undertaken by the Department of Ecology and Environment of Jiangsu Province and the Nanjing Municipal People's Government, and jointly undertaken by the Nanjing Municipal Bureau of Ecology and Environment, the Nanjing Maritime Safety Bureau, the Jiangbei New Area Management Committee, the Zhenjiang Municipal Bureau of Ecology and Environment, and the Yangzhou Municipal Bureau of Ecology and Environment was a complete success.
The environmental emergency drill was also supported by the public security, transportation, water affairs, health, meteorology, fire and other departments and enterprises in the three places.
The drill simulated the emergency of a xylene cargo ship at Pier 8 of Oude Oil Storage (Nanjing) Co., Ltd. that was collided by an out-of-control vessel on the river surface during the process of transporting materials, resulting in a large amount of material leakage.
After the incident, the enterprise involved immediately launched the plan, launched on-site disposal, and reported to the relevant departments as required. On this basis, multiple departments such as ecological environment and maritime affairs rushed to the scene at the first time.
The Nanjing Municipal People's Government launched an emergency response in accordance with the "Nanjing Emergency Plan for Environmental Emergencies" and the "Nanjing Centralized Surface Water Drinking Water Source Emergency Response Plan for Environmental Emergencies", and established an on-site command center, with Huo Huiping, vice mayor of Nanjing Municipality, as the general commander, deputy director of the Jiangbei New Area Management Committee, director of the Nanjing Municipal Bureau of Ecology and Environment, and director of the Nanjing Maritime Safety Bureau as deputy commanders; Zhenjiang City and Yangzhou City correspondingly launched an emergency response to sudden pollution incidents at drinking water sources.
At the same time, the Provincial Department of Ecology and Environment urgently set up a working group to guide the emergency handling of water pollution incidents in the three cities of "Ningzhenyang", and according to the experience of nanyang practice of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment on "exchanging time for space", the interception and diversion of pollutants entering the river to the cache in the cofferdam lake downstream of the accident point. The ecological and environmental departments of the three cities have timely coordinated disposal, and the relevant water supply departments have taken emergency precautionary measures in a timely manner to ensure the safety of residents' water use. The propaganda departments promptly tracked public opinion, guided public opinion, and held a press conference to ensure the stability of social order in the process of handling the incident.
"This exercise completed the predetermined subjects, achieved the expected goals, and played a guiding and exemplary role in the emergency handling of similar water body incidents in the Yangtze River Basin." Environmental safety expert Lu Pengyu said.
Yin Kun, director of the Provincial Environmental Emergency and Accident Investigation Center, also recognized the effect of the exercise, he said that the exercise, the topic is appropriate, with the Yangtze River protection as the background, the Yangtze River waterway chemical logistics and transportation as the object, environmental factor identification and environmental risk analysis, and emergency disposal, very in line with the regional personality and environmental characteristics of the Nanjing section of the Yangtze River.
The drill not only realized the requirements of the "five first times" for the ecological environment department to deal with environmental emergencies and the "5.24" requirements for information disclosure, but also a successful test of the effectiveness and practicality of the "Nanjing Emergency Plan for Environmental Emergencies", and also demonstrated the process of incident disposal and popularized relevant laws and regulations, which has strong practical guiding significance.
The actual accident situation is much more complicated than the drill, which requires people's governments at all levels and relevant departments to combine environmental emergency needs, find deficiencies, form material support and emergency capacity building that matches the risk level, closely coordinate and jointly deal with various risks, "more drills, regular drills, no script drills", and truly transform the emergency plan into an ideology to ensure social stability and people's happiness and health.
Correspondents: Wei Zhengxue, Zhao Tong
Editors: Zhao Yue, Guan Xinyue
Planners: Shi Yong, Zhang Jian
Review: Chu Fangqiao, Wang Sha
Publisher: Ying Chen